Columbia University, Events Leading to 2025 Settlement with USA

Summary

In 2024, student-led pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University escalated into encampments and building occupations, including the April occupation of Hamilton Hall. Protesters demanded that the university divest from companies tied to Israel’s military operations. The protests prompted multiple disciplinary investigations.

On March 13, 2025, Columbia announced disciplinary sanctions against more than 20 students involved in the Hamilton Hall protest, including suspensions and probations. The university cited violations of policies related to unauthorized access and disruption. Protesters and civil liberties advocates criticized the punishments as excessive and politically motivated.

Later in March 2025, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate, and several current students filed a federal lawsuit, Khalil, et al. v. Columbia University, to block the university from turning over disciplinary records to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The lawsuit argued that such disclosures would violate student privacy and chill protected political expression.

In early 2025, Columbia came under renewed federal scrutiny, particularly from the Trump administration and House Republicans, who accused the university of failing to address antisemitism on campus.

On June 4, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued findings that Columbia had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by inadequately responding to harassment and hostile environments targeting Jewish students. The department warned that Columbia risked losing more than $400 million in federal grants if it did not take corrective action.

In May 2025, campus activism resumed with rallies and walkouts protesting Columbia’s disciplinary actions and federal compliance. Students called on the university to rescind the IHRA definition and defend political speech on Palestine and Israel. Columbia stated that its policies sought to balance free expression with institutional responsibilities and legal obligations.

In July 2025, Columbia formally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism for use by its Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in handling discrimination and harassment complaints. The university said this adoption was intended to strengthen protections against antisemitism and comply with federal civil rights requirements. The IHRA definition includes examples that describe some criticisms of Israel as antisemitic, which sparked concern and opposition among faculty and some Jewish student groups. Several faculty committees passed resolutions opposing the formal adoption, citing risks to free expression.

Also in July 2025, Columbia banned 15 students involved in a May library protest from all university buildings and barred them from future enrollment. The bans included seniors already suspended and some first-year students. The e bans cited safety concerns and repeated violations of university policy. Critics described the bans as excessive and unprecedented.

That same month, Columbia confirmed it had reached a confidential agreement with the White House. The university described the agreement as “constructive” and aimed at resolving the Department of Education’s investigation into campus antisemitism. Columbia agreed to pay $200 million to settle the claims. The White House declined to comment.