Cases & Developments

In response to the immediate cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the University published its comprehensive strategy to make its campus safer, more welcoming, and respectful of the rights of all. In the announcement, the University wrote: It is committed to rigorous and impartial enforcement of its rules and antidiscrimination policies to ensure a safe campus environment and continuation of all academic functions; it plans to do a comprehensive review of its admission procedures; hold a greater commitment to institutional neutrality; develop a K-12 curriculum on how to have difficult conversations and dialogue across differences and topics related to antisemitism; develop improvements to the disciplinary process, including the University Judicial Board; clarifying that protests in academic buildings, and other places necessary for the conduct of University activities, are generally not acceptable under the Rules of University Conduct because of the likelihood of disrupting academic activities; all individuals who engage in protests or demonstrations, including those who wear face masks or face coverings, must, when asked, present their University identification to the satisfaction of a University Delegate or Public Safety Officer; public safety has determined that face masks or face coverings are not allowed for the purpose of concealing one’s identity in the commission of violations of University policies or state, municipal, or federal laws; the University has hired 36 special officers who will have the ability to remove individuals from campus and/or arrest them when appropriate; review from the Senior Vice Provost on educational programs to ensure they are comprehensive and balanced as well as steward the creation of new programs, curricular changes, etc. The Announcement concludes by stating that all of these steps are made to further Columbia’s basic mission to provide a safe and thriving environment for research and education while simultaneously preserving its commitment to academic freedom and institutional integrity.

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened investigations into 45 universities under Title VI following OCR’s Dear Colleague Letter (Feb. 14, 2025) (DCL). The investigations arise from allegations that institutional partnerships with “The Ph.D. Project” violate Title VI due to its allegedly race-based program eligibility restrictions. OCR also opened investigations into six additional universities for allegedly awarding impermissible race-based scholarships and into one program, which allegedly segregates students on the basis of race. The institutions under investigation include: Arizona State University – Main Campus; Boise State University; Cal Poly Humboldt; California State University – San Bernadino; Carnegie Mellon University; Clemson University; Cornell University; Duke University; Emory University; George Mason University; Georgetown University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Montana State University-Bozeman; New York University (NYU); Rice University; Rutgers University; The Ohio State University – Main Campus; Towson University; Tulane University; University of Arkansas – Fayetteville; University of California-Berkeley; University of Chicago; University of Cincinnati – Main Campus; University of Colorado – Colorado Springs; University of Delaware; University of Kansas; University of Kentucky; University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; University of Nebraska at Omaha; University of New Mexico – Main Campus; University of North Dakota – Main Campus; University of North Texas – Denton; University of Notre Dame; University of NV – Las Vegas; University of Oregon; University of Rhode Island; University of Utah; University of Washington-Seattle; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Wyoming; Vanderbilt University; Washington State University; Washington University in St. Louis; Yale University; Grand Valley State University; Ithaca College; New England College of Optometry; University of Alabama; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; University of South Florida; University of Oklahoma; and Tulsa School of Community Medicine. 

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent letters to sixty postsecondary institutions warning of potential enforcement actions if they fail to fulfill their obligations under Title VI to protect Jewish students. Institutions that received letters include: American University; Arizona State University; Boston University; Brown University; California State University, Sacramento; Chapman University; Columbia University; Cornell University; Drexel University; Eastern Washington University; Emerson College; George Mason University; Harvard University; Illinois Wesleyan University; Indiana University, Bloomington; Johns Hopkins University; Lafayette College; Lehigh University; Middlebury College; Muhlenberg College; Northwestern University; Ohio State University; Pacific Lutheran University; Pomona College; Portland State University; Princeton University; Rutgers University; Rutgers University-Newark; Santa Monica College; Sarah Lawrence College; Stanford University; State University of New York Binghamton, Rockland, and Purchase; Swarthmore College; Temple University; The New School; Tufts University; Tulane University; Union College; University of California Davis; University of California San Diego; University of California Santa Barbara; University of California, Berkeley; University of Cincinnati; University of Hawaii at Manoa; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of Michigan; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; University of North Carolina; University of South Florida; University of Southern California; University of Tampa; University of Tennessee; University of Virginia; University of Washington-Seattle; University of Wisconsin, Madison; Wellesley College; Whitman College; and Yale University.