Earlier tonight, the U.S. Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and General Services Administration issued a press release that places Columbia University at existential risk.

According to the statement, due to “Columbia’s ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students,” the federal government’s cross-agency antisemitism task force is now “considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government… [and] a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University.”

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon was unequivocal in her condemnation: “Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination. Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government.”

The consequences of these funding cuts would be catastrophic. Columbia would be immediately diminished from a world-class research institution to a tuition-dependent teaching college. Even the threat of such action could deter prospective students, faculty, and research partnerships, dealing a devastating blow to the university’s future.

For months, we have called for Columbia to take basic preventative measures—actions that Congress has also demanded. These steps, had they been quietly implemented, could have averted this crisis.

But today, we fear they may no longer be enough. Columbia must reassess what is required to protect its standing and ensure these existential threats do not become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

By the end of this week, Columbia’s leadership should publish a concrete plan outlining the below intended actions, with clear deadlines and measurable outcomes for preserving basic civil rights. This plan must openly acknowledge the real problems we face. Credibility can only be rebuilt through public commitment and visible follow-through. 

By the end of this month, Columbia should:

1. Wrap up its disciplinary proceedings with respect to the encampment and Hamilton Hall occupation from last spring. If the University Judicial Board continues to prevaricate and delay, or worse, grant amnesty or a slap on the wrist, the UJB will lose what little credibility and legitimacy it has left. It should be put on a strict deadline—and be dissolved if it is persistently unable to function.
2. Have Interim President Armstrong publish an op-ed communicating firm convictions and concrete commitments, similar to the strong and well-received op-ed Barnard President Laura Rosenbury wrote just hours ago. In her well-articulated defense of Barnard’s expulsions, Rosenbury stated, “We did what needed to be done, and we will continue to do so… That means removing from our community those who refuse to share our values of respect, inclusion, and academic excellence.”
3. Institute a mask ban, which is already beginning to get traction under New York state laws.

By the end of this semester, Columbia should:

4. Publish aggregated disciplinary statistics as “justice must be done and must be seen to be done”, which is now working its way into Title VI settlements.
5. Finish the work of our committee on institutional voice and adopt a policy of institutional neutrality.

By the beginning of the next academic year, Columbia should:

6. Augment Public Safety with formal powers of arrest, which Columbia has done in the past.
7. Set high expectations for incoming students in orientation programs, which our peers have underway.
8. Build on our strong track record of recruiting and promoting an intellectually diverse faculty.
9. Direct our admissions process to look for students who are here to learn, not to try to burn the place down or “seek the total eradication of Western civilization.”
10. Recommit to or restructure (and given its recent track record, unless something changes, it is looking like “restructure”) our shared governance mechanisms to remove the decision paralysis.

We take no satisfaction in accurately predicting today’s events. We hope there is still a window—however small—to avert disaster. We note the Trump administration is still speaking in terms of “considering” and “reviewing”, but it has left no doubt that continued inaction will only make matters worse.

We must take the difficult but necessary steps to restore credibility, enforce accountability, and protect the institution. As faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of this institution, we do not want the life-changing opportunities Columbia has given to us to dissipate due to the actions of a violent and nihilistic fringe mob. The 271-year legacy of this great institution must not come to an end on our watch.