Columbia University downsizes its workforce by approximately 180 employees due to loss of grants following Trump administration's decision.
Title: Federal Funds Pulled, Columbia University Forced to Lay Off Staff Over Anti-Semitic Incidents
Yo, let's dive into the latest at Columbia University. Our senior correspondent, Eric Shawn, recently reported on a heated situation that's causing quite the stir.
The Ivy League school has announced it'll be parting ways with around 180 staff members this Tuesday, following the Trump administration's decision in March to axe $400 million in federal grants. Why the sudden cash cut? Well, the school's been accused of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment, sparking antisemitic slurs.
Claire Shipman, acting Columbia University President, confirmed the layoffs in a statement. She explained that the university has had to make some tough choices, unfortunately impacting nearly 180 of their colleagues. This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grants.
The White House hasn't responded yet to our website's request for comment on the matter. But rest assured, we'll keep you posted on any updates.
Speaking of updates, remember Linda McMahon's scathing letter to Harvard? Well, Harvard's not the only university facing federal scrutiny - it seems Columbia's on the receiving end now. The Trump administration called off $400 million in federal grants after notifying the university of federal action from the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and the U.S. General Services Administration. The agencies cited the school's continuous inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.
In April, under pressure from the Trump administration, Columbia University caved in and agreed to make changes to address the issue. They promised to ban masks for concealing identity, empower 36 campus police officers with new powers to arrest students, and appoint a senior vice provost with broad authority over Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies, as well as the Center for Palestine Studies.
However, as of today, the university's leadership is still in discussions with the federal government in support of resuming activity on these research awards and additional awards that have remained active, but unpaid.
The university's increased budget constraints and uncertainty related to future levels of federal funding for research have forced them to make difficult choices. Shipman admitted that the layoffs will be tough on the community, acknowledging that they understand this news will be hard for those affected.
So there you have it, folks. Keep an eye out for more updates as Columbia University navigates through these challenging times. We'll make sure to keep you in the loop!
- The federal government's decision to withdraw $400 million in grants from Columbia University, due to alleged inaction against anti-Semitic incidents, has caused a significant ripple in the realm of politics as well as general news, given its impact on education-and-self-development and health, considering the aid's intended purposes.
- Amidst the turmoil at Columbia University over the withdrawn federal grants and the subsequent layoffs, discussions about the resumption of activities on research awards and unpaid grants are ongoing between the university's leadership and federal agencies, raising questions about the future of politics, health, and education-and-self-development projects at the institution.
