The Schooling Division mentioned Wednesday that Columbia College has violated federal antidiscrimination legal guidelines and has due to this fact failed to satisfy accreditation requirements.
The division’s civil rights workplace notified the Center States Fee on Increased Schooling — which accredits U.S. schools and universities — that Columbia was out of compliance, in accordance with a information launch from the Schooling Division.
The division, citing President Trump’s government order on accreditation requirements, accused the college’s leaders of failing to deal with antisemitism on campus after the Oct. 7 assault in opposition to Israel by Hamas.
“After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror assault on Israel, Columbia College’s management acted with deliberate indifference in the direction of the harassment of Jewish college students on its campus,” Schooling Secretary Linda McMahon mentioned within the launch.
She famous that the accreditation fee has “an infinite public duty as gatekeepers of federal scholar support,” they usually “decide which establishments are eligible for federal scholar loans and Pell Grants.” Dropping its accreditation would imply that Columbia can be ineligible to supply federal monetary support to college students attending the college.
“In mild of OCR’s willpower, Columbia College now not seems to satisfy the Fee’s accreditation requirements,” the division launch mentioned.
A Columbia spokesperson instructed CBS Information the varsity is conscious of the Division of Schooling’s considerations and has “addressed these considerations immediately with Center States,” referring to its accreditor. The spokesperson additionally mentioned the varsity is “deeply dedicated to combating antisemitism on our campus” and is “persevering with to work with the federal authorities to deal with it.”
The accreditation group confirmed to CBS Information it obtained a letter Wednesday on the Division of Schooling’s points with Columbia, however didn’t remark additional.
Final month, the civil rights places of work of the Schooling Division and Division of Well being and Human Companies decided that Columbia had “did not meaningfully defend Jewish college students in opposition to extreme and pervasive harassment on Columbia’s campus and consequently denied these college students’ equal entry to instructional alternatives to which they’re entitled below the regulation.”
This can be a creating story and might be up to date.
