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Professors and teachers at the University of University are mourning the administration of Donald Trump for his efforts to overhaul at Columbia University with threats to withdraw federal funding from the Ivy League institution.
The US University Professors’ Association and US Federation of Teachers has launched a lawsuit against officials and departments for education, education, health and human services, the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the General Services Directorate after after $ 400 million funding to Colombia It was cut earlier this month.
The legal challenge follows Columbia’s decision last week to give up many of Government requests To divert college management and student discipline, which has launched protests and widespread concerns about threat of academic freedom and freedom of speech in US educational institutions.
Todd Wolfson, President of AAUP, said: “Threats and compulsions of Trump administration in Columbia are part of a clear authoritarian book that needs to overthrow academic freedom and critical research in American higher education.”
The lawsuit states that without the appropriate procedure “Trump’s administration is forced by Columbia University to perform its offers and regulates speech and expression in the campus by holding a hostage of billions of dollars in Congressly approved Federal Financing – funding responsible for positioning the US university system as a global leader in scientific, medical and technological research.”
Air clerks come after other legal challenges in recent weeks in cancellation of federal administration scholarships to the University of Diversity, Capital and Increasing Initiatives, and its decrease in indirect costs that he financed on a 15 percent medical study, in a move estimated to reduce support for $ 4 billion throughout the country.
The government had accused Columbia earlier this month of not preventing anti -Semitism In the campus and warned future funding, it would be threatened if it does not quickly implement fast reforms.
Similar to other universities, the Faculty members criticized Columbia’s leadership for refusing speech or criticizing the administration actions, in what some considered a tactic to avoid further targeting. He also tried to discourage the appointment of AAUP lawsuit.
However, Columbia’s concessions failed to make the Government turn their reduction of $ 400 million.
In a letter on Monday, Josh Gruenbaum, a member of the newly appointed working group of administrations to fight anti -Semitism, said: “The early Columbia steps are a positive sign, but they must still show that they are serious in their decision to end anti -Semitism and protection all students and colleges in their campus.”
He also warned “the other universities exploring the working group should expect the same level of supervision and fast action if they do not act on the protection of their students and stop anti -Semitic behavior in the campus.”
The Ministry of Justice is followed by 10 universities for alleged failures in the suppression of anti -Semitism in campuses, while 60 investigates the Civic Rights Office of the Department of Education.
As a sign of further escalation, the University of Pennsylvania said that it became aware of the effort of administration to withdraw $ 175 million funding related to failure to prevent transgender students in women’s sports, although it had not yet received a formal notice.
Columbia University refused to comment.
