(NEW YORK)–In response to news that Columbia University has agreed to many of the demands recently made of it by the Trump administration, PEN America released the following statement from Kristen Shahverdian, program director for Campus Free Speech:
“Columbia’s concessions today strike at core principles of academic freedom and self-governance in the higher education sector. This is hardly business as usual. The Trump administration’s demands go far beyond the typical requests the federal government might make to address issues of discrimination and harassment. And the cancellation of $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia was a clear attempt to intimidate the university into complying — which it now has.”
As part of this unprecedented exchange with the federal government, Columbia has agreed to make changes to policies pertaining to student disciplinary processes, protest policies, and admissions procedures. In response to the demand that it put the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies into ‘academic receivership,’ Columbia effectively conceded by agreeing to appoint a new senior vice provost to “conduct a thorough review” of its academic programs and centers related to teaching about world regions, “starting immediately with the Middle East.” Other concessions include agreeing to conduct new searches to expand “intellectual diversity among faculty,” in an apparent effort to appoint faculty with political views the Trump administration favors.
This decision from Columbia also comes in the wake of other actions by the Trump administration that have made clear it intends to crack down on and punish pro-Palestinian speech, as well as withdraw federal funding from any universities whose policies it disfavors, to pressure them into implementing its ideological agenda.
Shahverdian continued: “While we recognize the pressure Columbia has been under to resolve this issue, capitulating to any of these highly intrusive demands sets a dangerous precedent for higher education at large. This will have grave consequences for how Columbia and other universities operate, from the courses they teach to how they protect their students’ free speech rights. And, it opens the door for even greater interference and retaliation from the Trump administration, threatening academic freedom, vital research, and students’ education.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, mmargolies@pen.org