Columbia University To Possibly Pay $200 Million In Settlement With Trump Administration: Report

Columbia University has potentially agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle the matter with the Trump administration, per a report by the New York Times. The matter was regarding allegations that the University failed to protect Jewish students from harassment.

Officials from the Ivy League university are expected to meet US President Donald Trump next weekend to finalise the deal.

The agreement seeks to restore some of the $400 million in federal research funding that Trump had cancelled. In return, Columbia would pay compensations regarding allegations about civil rights violations, and will also increase transparency about admissions and foreign gifts, among other reparations. However, a consent decree which would have given the federal government control over the university for years to come, is not part of the discussion.

Columbia University could pay $200 million or more in compensation for the alleged civil rights violations. The university officials met last Sunday to discuss the terms of the deal. The negotiations between the Trump administration and Columbia University have been directed out of the White House by a team led by Trump adviser, Stephen Miller.

"The university is focused on advancing the discussions with the federal government. There is no resolution at this time," a university spokesperson, Virginia Lam Abrams said, speaking about the deal.

Columbia has been trying to solve the issues the federal government has. Right after the $400 million in funding for university was cut, in March, the university started its concessions towards the Trump administration. It empowered campus police to arrest students, restricted masks at protests and even exerted more control over its Middle Eastern studies department.

Their approach - negotiation with the Trump administration was criticised, and compared to Harvard's who chose to sue. They were accused of capitulation. However, Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president, defended her strategy by writing a letter to the university community in June: "Following the law and attempting to resolve a complaint is not capitulation."

Harvard too, has begun talks with the Trump administration regarding the massive cut in federal research funding.

Columbia was the first university to be targeted by the Trump administration, which was later followed by Harvard, Cornell and Northwestern Universities.