[Columbia University. Photo credit to Pxhere]

Columbia University has conceded to the Trump administration’s demands in order to restore $400 million in federal funding, which the government took away previously through an executive order signed by the president.

The federal funding was ceased with immediate effect last month, with officials citing “a failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.” 

Last year, Columbia University became a hotspot during a wave of campus protests across the United States against Israel's war on Gaza. 

This month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York arrested  Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, one of the organizers of the pro-Palestine protests.

The agents further revoked his permanent residency, claiming that the State Department ordered them to do so.

Homeland Security Secretary Krisi Noem stated that to "advocate for violence and terrorism" was enough to revoke a green card, following the Trump administration’s practice of categorizing Palestinians as terrorists.

After being informed on March 10 that the university would be investigated for "antisemitic harassment and discrimination," Columbia expelled, suspended, and revoked the degrees of students involved in the occupation of Hamilton Hall as part of the protests last year.

Trump and his administration have also targeted another program that does not align with their party’s political beliefs: the Ph.D. Project, which has been providing support for minority groups pursuing doctoral degrees for over 30 years.

The United States Department of Education, led by Trump-backed secretary Linda McMahon, announced an investigation into 45 universities across the country that have graduate schools partnered with the Ph.D. Project.

According to the Department of Education, the Ph.D. Project violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act because the project limits who is eligible based on race: an engagement in “race-exclusionary principles,” as the Department claims.

The 45 universities on the list include prestigious private universities such as Cornell University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as public universities like Arizona State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

This follows a series of actions by the administration to shut down DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies and initiatives nationwide, in both public and private sectors. 

Similar to how many government departments have shut down diversity hiring, minority support programs, and diversity statements, universities are removing the DEI label from admissions, hiring, and activities.

The CEO of the Ph.D. Project announced that they would be removing the word "diversity" from their mission statement, and made promises for broadening the pool of talent.

Critics say that the government's approach to the Columbia University protests is "far beyond traditional compliance or conduct policies," expressing concern over whether this is a stifling of free speech in American academia.

Many universities among the 45 named institutions have begun to cut ties with the Ph.D. Project over fears of punishment from the government in the form of lawsuits or the revoking of federal funding.