$200M Mistake: How Wokeness Just Bankrupted Columbia

Columbia University struck a historic settlement with the Trump administration on July 23, agreeing to pay $200 million over three years plus $21 million to resolve EEOC claims. The move restores over $400 million in federal research grants and secures ongoing funding, including NIH support, while forcing deep reforms across campus.

The settlement ends a months-long standoff triggered by pro-Palestinian protests and allegations of antisemitic harassment during the Israel–Hamas war. It sets a new standard: Columbia is the first major university to settle under Trump’s campus civil‑rights crackdown, answering demands about disciplinary processes, admissions, faculty hiring, and on‑campus speech.

Under the deal, Columbia must:

  • Overhaul student discipline and expel or suspend participants in pro‑Palestinian protests
  • Reject DEI programs that conflict with civil‑rights law, banning race-based admissions and hiring
  • Adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, apply it to faculty and curriculum
  • Submit reports to an independent monitor every six months for compliance

Acting President Claire Shipman defended the decision, saying litigation risk could threaten Northern science programs, accreditation, and thousands of international students’ visas.

Shipman noted: “I recognize these are substantial settlements. As Acting President, together with our Board of Trustees, we had to look at all the facts… The prospect of that continuing indefinitely, along with the potential loss of top scientists, would jeopardize our status as a world-leading research institution.

“Furthermore, as I have discussed on many occasions with our community, we carefully explored all options open to us. We might have achieved short-term litigation victories, but not without incurring deeper long-term damage — the likely loss of future federal funding, the possibility of losing accreditation, and the potential revocation of visa status of thousands of international students.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised it as a “seismic shift” in enforcing accountability from taxpayer-backed universities

This settlement contrasts sharply with Harvard’s ongoing lawsuit resisting similar demands after facing a $2.6 billion funding cut. Columbia, by comparison, capitulated and accepts sweeping oversight in exchange for restoration of funds.

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