An official letter was sent from the US federal government to Columbia University on Thursday offering the required “next steps” the Ivy League school must take to protect students from antisemitism.
The letter, circulating on social media, emphasized that the government would be “pausing or terminating federal funding” if the university failed to comply with the listed requirements.
New from @TheFP: @usedgov has sent @Columbia a letter detailing “the bare minimum” it has to do in order to recover its federal funding. Columbia must:• Enforce existing disciplinary policies• Abolish the University Judicial Board• Establish time, place,… pic.twitter.com/mHMZC3syN1
— Columbia Jewish & Israeli Students (@CUJewsIsraelis) March 13, 2025
The official US letter comes after US President Donald Trump’s administration canceled grants and contracts totaling $400 million to Columbia University, citing “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
In response, Columbia University’s interim president said the school was working to address the “legitimate concerns” of Trump’s administration.
The new letter sent to Columbia on Thursday explained that “US taxpayers invest enormously in US colleges and universities” and that “it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that all recipients are responsible stewards of federal funds.”
“Columbia University, however, has fundamentally failed to protect American students and faculty from antisemetic violence and harassment in addition to other alleged violations,” the letter continued.
The letter then listed the steps that Columbia will need to “ensure and document compliance with” before the date of March 20.
What are the nine steps Columbia University must take to continue receiving federal funding?
The list consisted of nine different steps.
The first step stated that Columbia must “enforce existing disciplinary policies.” This means completing “disciplinary proceedings for Hamilton Hall and encampments.”
The second step stated that there must be “primacy of the president in disciplinary matters” —meaning to “abolish the Univeristy Judical Board (UJB) and centralize all disciplinary proccesses in the Office of the President.”
The third step added that Columbia must “implement permanent, comprehensive-time, place, and manner rules to prevent disruption of teaching, research, and campus life.”
The fourth step called for a “mask ban.” The letter added that “any masked individual must wear their Columbia ID on the outside of their clothing.”
The fifth step called on the university to deliver a “plan to hold all student groups accountable.” It elaborated that student groups and individuals that were operating, or in support of, unrecognized groups “engaged in violations of university policy” must be held accountable. This would be done through “investigations, disciplinary proceedings, and expulsion as appropriate,” the letter continued.
The sixth step was for the university to “formalize, adopt, and promulgate a definition of antisemitism.
The seventh step called on the university to “empower internal law enforcement.”
The eighth step called for “Academic Receivership,” which would entail the start of a process that would place “the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department under academic receivership for a minimum of five years.”
Lastly, the ninth step added that the university must “deliver a plan for comprehensive admissions reform.”
This step “must include a strategy to reform undergraduate admissions, international recruiting, and graduate admissions practices to conform with federal law and policy.”
The letter concluded that “immediate compliance with these critical next steps” is expected.
It was signed by Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, Acting General Counsel US Department of Health & Services Sean R. Keveney, and Acting General Counsel US Department of Education Thomas E. Wheeler.
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