By Michelle Watson, CNN
(CNN) — A federal task force created by President Donald Trump to combat antisemitism could pull more than $50 million in contracts between Columbia University and the federal government, over the school’s “ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students,” three federal agencies said in a joint news release Monday.
It is the latest installment in what’s been a turbulent time at universities across the country and follows a yearslong spate of high-profile incidents at Columbia’s campus in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Antisemitism kills like “history’s most deadly plagues,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
“In recent years, the censorship and false narratives of woke cancel culture have transformed our great universities into greenhouses for this deadly and virulent pestilence,” he said in the release.
In response to the announcement, Columbia said it’s “fully committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we are resolute that calling for, promoting, or glorifying violence or terror has no place at our University.”
“We look forward to ongoing work with the new federal administration to fight antisemitism, and we will continue to make all efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff,” the statement continued.
The government task force will also review more than $5 billion in grant commitments to Columbia to “ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities.”
The General Services Administration will facilitate the review, according to the release.
“Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. “Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government.”
Minouche Shafik, the university’s president, resigned at the start of the fall semester in August following a tumultuous school year marked by protests, an encampment on school grounds, a building occupation and the mass arrest of more than 100 demonstrators. A week before, three deans resigned after they were removed from their posts over what the school labeled “very troubling” antisemitic text messages.
Shafik had been plagued by a vote of no-confidence and was under intense scrutiny for her handling of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war and her congressional testimony on the subject.
On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League released an updated report card assessing how US colleges combat antisemitism and protect Jewish students.
Some Jewish and Muslim students nationwide said they were intimidated, harassed or physically assaulted, CNN previously reported.
Harvard University received a C, moving up two grades from an F the year before, while two of its Ivy League peers — the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University — each received a C, up from a D. Columbia University remained at a D.
Forty-five percent of the schools evaluated in the last academic year improved, while only 9% declined — a positive sign for combating antisemitism on campuses, the civil rights advocacy group said. In total, 36% of schools received an A or B grade, up from 23.5% the year before. Just under 10% of schools received an F, which was slightly below the percentage that received an F in the last report.
“While many campuses have improved in ways that are encouraging and commendable, Jewish students still do not feel safe or included on too many campuses,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the ADL, said in a statement
Campus clashes continue
On January 21, several individuals disrupted the first day of a History of Modern Israel class at Columbia by handing out flyers with what the university called “violent imagery.”
It was the first day of Professor Avi Shilon’s class, and students had only just been introduced to the course when protesters – whose faces were covered and appeared to be wearing keffiyehs, a traditional Middle Eastern scarf often identified as a symbol of Palestinian identity – entered and distributed anti-Israel leaflets, student Elisha Baker told CNN at the time.
One flyer shows a burning Israeli flag underneath the words “Burn Zionism to the Ground,” and another depicts a large black boot about to stomp on the Jewish Star of David and reads “Crush Zionism,” according to pictures taken by Baker.
And last Wednesday, a small group of pro-Palestinian student demonstrators occupied a building at Barnard College’s Manhattan campus, clashing with staff and sending one employee to the hospital, the school, which is affiliated with Columbia University, said.
The demonstration, organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, was part of a week of action demanding the reinstatement of two students expelled for disrupting an Israeli history course in January.
Nearly 100 students from Barnard and Columbia University staged a sit-in at Barnard’s Milbank Hall, Columbia University Apartheid Divest said on social media.
The protests were not taking place on Columbia’s campus and Barnard’s leadership and security team were assessing the situation, Columbia said in a statement on its website.
“The disruption of academic activities is not acceptable conduct,” the statement said. “We are committed to supporting our Columbia student body and our campus community during this challenging time.”
CNN’s Jeff Winter, Emma Tucker, Lex Harvey, and John Towfighi contributed to this report.
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