Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Five killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli airstrike targets the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City
Al-Qassam: We will postpone the handover of the body of the Israeli captive we found, which was scheduled for today, due to the occupation's violations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Israeli occupation aircraft launch airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
Netanyahu's office: At the end of the security consultations, the prime minister instructed the military to launch massive military strikes on the Gaza Strip immediately
President Aoun: We urge the activation of the monitoring committee, the cessation of hostilities, ongoing Israeli violations, attacks
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to US Envoy Morgan Ortagus: Southerners must be enabled to return to their homes and rebuild
Syrian sources: The Israeli occupation has begun withdrawing from the areas it infiltrated last night in the Quneitra countryside.

Columbia reaches $220M deal with US government over campus protests

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 24 Jul 2025 08:58
3 Min Read

Columbia University will pay over $220M in a settlement with the Trump administration amid scrutiny over pro-Palestine campus protests.

Listen
  • x
  • Columbia reaches $220M deal with US government over campus protests
    A graduate shows off their decorated cap in support of Palestinians while posing for photos across the street from the main gates of Columbia University, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Columbia University has agreed to pay over $200 million in a settlement with the Trump administration, concluding months of tension over the university's handling of campus protests and antisemitism-related allegations.

Under the terms of the deal, Columbia will pay $200 million over three years to the federal government and an additional $21 million to settle claims brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agreement also mandates the adoption of institutional reforms, including revisions to the student disciplinary process and the adoption of the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

In exchange, the Trump administration will reinstate $400 million in federal funding that had been previously frozen, including critical research grants. Columbia was also facing the threat of losing up to $1.2 billion more in funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.

The settlement follows Columbia's disciplinary actions against almost 80 students involved in a high-profile campus protest in May 2025 against the war on Gaza. Critics argue the university bowed to federal pressure, compromising its academic independence and values.

Columbia's agreement includes the appointment of an independent monitor who will report biannually to the federal government on the university's compliance with the settlement terms.

Related News

ASEAN demands end to US blockade on Cuba at UNGA

Venezuela denounces US blockade on Cuba at UNGA

Broader federal crackdown on universities

The Trump administration has increasingly focused on elite academic institutions, accusing them of fostering antisemitic environments and failing to align with US foreign policy priorities. This strategy has involved the suspension of federal grants worth billions and exhaustive demands for policy changes.

In addition to Columbia, the administration has threatened or imposed funding freezes on Cornell University ($1B), Northwestern University ($790M), Brown University ($510M), and Princeton University. The University of Pennsylvania saw $175 million in research support withdrawn before implementing policy revisions on protest management and transgender athlete participation.

Harvard University has emerged as the most prominent institution resisting the administration's efforts. In April 2025, the Trump administration froze over $2.2 billion in federal research grants and contracts after Harvard refused to comply with a list of demands, which included dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, restructuring university governance, implementing viewpoint diversity audits, and overhauling protest regulations.

The administration also targeted Harvard's international student programs. The Department of Homeland Security blocked new international student enrollments and demanded the removal of all F-1 and J-1 visa holders for the 2025–2026 academic year. Simultaneously, the State Department opened an investigation into Harvard's eligibility to sponsor exchange visitors.

In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit arguing that the administration's actions violated the university's constitutional rights. Federal Judge Allison Burroughs issued preliminary rulings favoring Harvard, allowing existing international students to remain temporarily. The case is ongoing, with more than $2.6 billion in funding and the university's operational independence at stake.

The wave of federal action came after a series of pro-Palestine protests that swept across US campuses in late 2023 and 2024 following the war on Gaza, and critics have argued that the government's response to the demonstrations aims to suppress legitimate protest and dissent.

  • United States
  • pro-Palestine protest
  • Trump administration
  • Harvard University
  • Campus Protests
  • students for Palestine
  • US campus protests
  • Columbia University

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and Egyptian workers search for the bodies of hostages in a tunnel discovered during searches in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' obstructing Gaza body recovery, creating false claims: Hamas

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawwaf Salam talks to US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon, October 28, 2025 (NNA)
Politics

Salam conveys to Ortagus goals behind any possible negotiations

Writers boycott NYT, demand justice as Gaza media ban faces court
Politics

300+ writers boycott NYT Opinion, cite persistent anti-Palestine bias

Settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters, Injure 3 Palestinians
Politics

Settlers attack West Bank olive harvesters, injure 3 Palestinians

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS