Columbia University agrees to Trump administration demands to restore funding

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, Manhattan -- Columbia University's interim president has informed the community they are agreeing to meet the White House's demands to restore $400 million in federal funding to the school.

The school posted a four-page memo entitled "Advancing Our Work to Combat Discrimination, Harassment, and Antisemitism at Columbia," which will no doubt alarm those resistant to the idea the federal government should dictate Columbia's academic affairs.

Columbia's response is being closely watched by other schools that became flashpoints for pro-Palestinian protests last year.

Columbia agreed to ban masks, one of the Trump administration's key demands.

"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 document said.

The university also agreed to stricter controls over its Middle East studies department, which will now be overseen by a new senior vice provost who "will conduct a thorough review of the portfolio of programs in regional areas across the University, starting immediately with the Middle East."

The memo promised the new senior vice provost would make sure the curriculum is "comprehensive and balanced" and the faculty represent an "intellectually diverse academic environment" as the Trump administration tries to crackdown on leftwing ideology on campus.

Negotiations had been ongoing ahead of the Friday deadline after the revocation of the money halted things like campus research.