Columbia University has agreed to implement a mask ban and expand campus police powers following demands from the Trump administration, which had frozen $400 million in federal funding to the institution.
“Freedom of expression is what enables the rigorous debate and free inquiry on which our academic mission depends,” Columbia said.
“But demonstrations and other protest activities that occur inside academic buildings and places where academic activities take place present a direct impediment to maintaining our core academic mission,” it added.
The move has drawn attention and debate within academic circles regarding the balance between government influence and academic freedom.
In her letter, interim president Katrina Armstrong said that the university would immediately appoint a senior vice provost to conduct a thorough review of its regional studies programs, “starting immediately with the Middle East.”
The university added that it will revamp its long-standing disciplinary process and bar protests inside academic buildings.
“Students will not be permitted to wear face masks on campus for the purposes of concealing one’s identity. An exception would be made for people wearing them for health reasons,” the university said.
The university is taking steps to reinstate its federal funding after the White House ordered cuts earlier this month, citing antisemitism complaints from Jewish students.
