The Trump administration said Wednesday that it has notified the accreditor for Columbia University that the school violated Title VI, threatening the university’s accreditation status by saying it “no longer appears to meet the Commissions accreditation standards.”
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) “determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” according to press release from the Education Department.
The release says the school has been in violation since the war in the Middle East began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage. Israel’s ensuing retaliation on the Gaza Strip has claimed more than 54,000 lives.
The government release Wednesday states that the school is now in violation of the standards set by Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Columbia’s accreditor, which states that “a candidate or accredited institution possesses or demonstrates … compliance with all applicable government laws and regulations.”
“In light of OCR’s determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards,” the Department of Education said.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the release that Columbia has “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus” since Oct. 7, 2023, calling the school’s actions “immoral” and “unlawful.”
McMahon said the department will work with the accreditor “to ensure Columbia’s compliance with accreditation standards including compliance with federal civil rights laws.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
