The Department of Education said Wednesday that Columbia University had violated federal anti -discrimination laws and had therefore not complied with accreditation standards.
The Department's Civil Rights Office informed the Commission of States of the Higher Education – which accredited American colleges and universities – which Columbia was without compliance, according to a press release from the Department of Education.
The department, citing President Trump executive decree Regarding accreditation standards, university leaders accused University leaders not to tackle anti -Semitism on campus after the October 7 attack against Israel by Hamas.
“After October 7, 2023 of Hamas, a terrorist attack on Israel, the management of the University of Columbia acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on his campus,” said education secretary Linda McMahon in the press release.
She noted that the accreditation committee has “a huge public responsibility as a federal assistance to students”, and they “determine which institutions are eligible for federal loans and Pell subsidies”. The loss of its accreditation would mean that Columbia would not be eligible to provide federal financial assistance to students attending the university.
“In light of the determination of the OCR, Columbia University no longer seems to comply with the committee's accreditation standards,” said the department’s press release.
A spokesperson for Columbia told CBS News that the school was aware of the concerns of the Ministry of Education and had “responded directly to these concerns with average states”, referring to his accreditor. The spokesman also said that the school was “deeply determined to fight anti-Semitism on our campus” and “continues to work with the federal government to remedy it”.
The accreditation group confirmed to CBS News that he had received a letter on Wednesday on the problems of the Ministry of Education with Columbia, but did not comment more.
Last month, the civil rights offices of the Department of Education and the Ministry of Health and Social Services determined that Columbia had “failed to significantly protect Jewish students against severe and omnipresent harassment on the Columbia campus and therefore refused equal access to the educational possibilities to which they are entitled under the law.”
This is a story in development and will be updated.
