Trump attacks Columbia University’s accreditation

The Trump administration attacked Columbia University’s accreditation, arguing that the school is in violation of federal anti discrimination laws. Mr Trump says that the University violated the civil rights of its Jewish students.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a letter that the New York City college “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students” in a manner that violated federal anti-discrimination laws.

US President Donald Trump has condemned Columbia and other US universities, arguing they have failed to protect Jewish students amid the war in Gaza and anti-war protests that took place on US campuses.

Accreditors play a key role in determining which universities are allowed to access billions of dollars in federal funding. “Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid,” McMahon wrote in a letter on Wednesday, calling Columbia’s actions “immoral” and “unlawful”.

The letter informs the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which oversees Columbia, that Columbia “no longer appears to meet the Commissions accreditation standards” by its alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws.

Only institutions accredited by Department of Education-recognized accreditors are eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants and federal work-study or student loan programs.

After launching an investigation into Columbia in February, the Trump administration opted to cancel $400 million in federal grants over the university’s “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.”

Subsequently, Columbia agreed to make changes in an effort to prevent the funds from being canceled. The school took steps to overhaul its policies around protests, safety and security, while also reorganizing its Middle Eastern studies department. The changes also included adopting a new campus-wide definition of antisemitism.

But despite Columbia’s claimed agreement to try to tamp down on campus antisemitism, the Department of Health an Human Services found that Columbia University fosters a “hostile environment Jewish students.”

It is unclear if there is anything Columbia can do now to keep their accreditation, or if President Trump has already made up his mind.