I’ll admit I had the thought it would be easier to get in for a split second before I came to my senses and told my son that no way would I pay tuition to Columbia.
My friend just got in to Columbia for grad school and thankfully had not accepted yet. They’re walking. We told them to write a letter as to why and ask for their application fee back.
Come to Europe. The US benefitted immensely in the 1930’s when the cream of continental Europe’s scientists had to flee. The entire US scientific development until now has been fuelled by international brilliance. Now, it’s time to leave, it will not get better over there. You’ll love it here.
That's encouraging, especially for research scientists, although we're talking thousands and thousands of people even in that sector. My partner is a professor at Columbia in the humanities. I'm delighted you've recently hired in the arts, but I'm not sure there will be tons of jobs for humanists.
All kinds of legal and ethical issues with the governments actions, but another example of how our system is not designed to protect against a rouge executive and legislature. By the time this works its way through the courts the damage is already done. Similar with the law firms.
Really, they should resign in the fall on the first day of class and let Columbia scramble for professors. Start working second jobs now, save up and screw them over.
My grandfather, who has passed, was Sachems at Columbia. This secret society was founded to be more inclusive, as Nacoms didnt allow Jewish students. The administration of this school has a challenging history with inclusion and apparently also has a history of being run by cowards.
We knew going into this that trump 2.0 would be bad and that a shocking number of our fellow citizens would revel in the cruelty but I think what a lot of us didn’t expect was the level of cowardice from institutions like Columbia.
I guess we can all better understand how Vichy France happened now
Good thought, but what should make anyone so sure that all the other colleges and universities won’t do the same once they’re threatened with losing all of their federal funding?
You mean medical residents? They are stuck. I think today was match day. But of course there are many circumstances that challenge people. The privileged should step up( especially since many are closet maga)
Does she feel disgusted with her classmates? Her advisors? Her program? We all feel disgusted with the current WH admin - doesn’t mean we bail on the country. Maybe she should take a bit of time and think it over. There is no escape from our current unease no matter where we go. I sympathize.
But she's supporting their actions by staying there. I know it's no easy thing to transfer to another school, but they're setting a dangerous precedent.
Columbia University had the greatest opportunity to not only show solidarity with its students, but to show that they will not bend the knee to a dictator. They failed spectacularly and are now going to be known as complete cowards.
Hi 💟 I'm sorry
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Great, please continue the opposition, my message was not about your ground based resistance that is needed
I'm French, my message was about general resistance .
Shame that anyone voted for him. Shame that those who have the wherewithal & $ to fight, don’t. Just follow Trump lead:
NEVER admit wrongdoing.
COUNTERSUE because they are wrong.
“Attack. Attack. Attack.”
"No matter what happens, claim victory & never admit defeat... & party on!
SO FUCKİNG THİS! So many colleges dont stick up for the least popular side in politics or fights. Working class students, disabled students, students whose country of origin makes the college a target, and on and on. We need colleges but not elitism and cowardice when vulnerable groups beg for help
They love to hand out grants but don't hand out SOLIDARITY! FUCK COLOMBIA. EVERY PERSON WHO VOTED TO RESCIND THEIR DEGREES SHOULD HAVE THEIR TAKEN AWAY AND BE FIRED. FUCKING LOW LIFE COWARDS.
Columbia and all being sued must do what Trump does:
NEVER admit wrongdoing.
COUNTERSUE because they are wrong.
Attack. Attack. Attack.
“No matter what happens, claim victory & never admit defeat. . . & party on!
There are quite a few faculty who are thinking of this as the moment to at long last organize to achieve real change and genuine faculty governance. Tbh, though, that seems to be a hard sell for most tenured faculty. They like to complain. They don't like to protest. And change? They like how it is.
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Clubhouse is a coward just like the universities in Nazi Germany who got rid of all their Jewish professors like Einstein. Columbia will be relegated to the dustbin of history..
If I rub the lamp and the genie pops up and gives me 3 wishes, number one: Don’t put rich folks in charge of the government. I am saving the other two for Democrats first and second. Here I am talking about cajones. They need two of them.
Barron attends the other school on the south of the island. Interestingly NYU seems to be getting a pass. Even though their @aaup.bsky.social chapter is suing the Trump administration.
Yeah, I guess I meant maybe he applied and didn't get in...though, in hindsight, why wouldn't they just take Trump's tuition money since it's never about merit/ethics and only $$ apparently?
Oh! Good to know… thanks for the info! Hmmm so how about this? Come to university in Canada 🇨🇦 or really so many other great countries. Anyway good luck and stay safe
If there were a Canadian university that would have me, I’d strongly consider it. But the simple fact is that the world isn’t equipped to handle a mass exodus of US faculty because there’s no infrastructure for it. Higher Ed unfortunately isn’t as simple as “send out a CV and do some networking.”
And go where? Most of us in higher ed have been fighting these types of battles for decades while the elites have been moaning about safe rooms and proper pronouns. If they want to survive, they should start talking to their poorer cousins at public institutions in the South about insurrection.
So not shocked that higher ed administrators just caved. They are cowards, most are not part of the academy. They come from the outside and look forward to being put on boards, appointed to think tanks, etc. They don't value higher education except what it will do for them.
Agree. A number of folks I have observed rise from the faculty ranks to administrator, rarely said anything at large faculty meetings. I might say they said nothing most of the time.
We have ceded the power of tenure and academic freedom. I know from experience that retaliation is real and being the tall blade of grass has huge personal and professional costs. I can't help it because that is who I am but many just accept passivity.
I would bet that if they sounded the alarm and asked for donations from those who want to defend knowledge and the integrity of our educational institutions, they could have raised it in 1 night
Hell, I would have donated
I hope the rest of higher education sees the opportunity and bands together.
Not to mention that if they sued the Dept. of Ed. for this blatant extortion, chances are good they'd get an injunction slapped on the $400m anyhow. Well, they'll rue the day, sooner rather than later, because Trump is going to defund them at his earliest opportunity now that he's made them grovel.
Elites cowards always look out for themselves first. This is so unsurprising. Look at the middle school teacher who’s risking her livelihood to take a stand. She CARES. It’s the working people who should be lifted up in society, not a bunch of out of touch snobs. Hope this era is over now.
I’m worried about all colleges right now & funding. My daughter is supposed to be starting U of Wisconsin at Madison in the fall with 100% financial aid. Will she still be getting that or will financial aid for students be used for tax relief for billionaires like Medicaid?
She also got into Illinois at Urbana-Champagne & since we’re IL residents & she has good grades, she can go there if her financial aid doesn’t come through with Wisconsin. She was excited to have gotten into Wisconsin’s Sociology Program with a full ride. She’s a pragmatist & will adapt, tho.
Unfortunately, all the research universities will be hit. This is bad in 2 levels. First is the impact on people. Next is the impact on all of us as they stop medical research.
As the daughter of a college professor, I worry about my dad turning over in his grave. And for all the scholars who take the time to think about shit that matters. Don't let authoritarianism make us stupid.
All the students and professors need to walk, this will only get worse if the admins making the big bucks aren't looking out for those who are paying the admins. Kinda like politicians being paid because we vote for them and then they bow to the billionaires. It will never stop if we don't stop them
I’m waiting to hear other institutions at least condemn the capitulation if not straight up restricted admissions to grad schools from Columbia grads. It’s tough on the students that choose to go there, but the school has dropped at standards for intellectual independence.
The problem (as I know you know) is for the majority of us in the humanities (& many social sciences) the only "there" we have is the institution where we now are. Lawyers can join another firm, but getting out for most of us means finding a new career.
You (and I include me even though I'm not part of any institution, alas) can create forms of solidarity that assist in dealing with the effects of Trumpian intellophobia.
Oh I think by now there has been a lot written about the horrifying awfulness on all sides during the Civil War.
But the events I wrote about are after the Civil War, and those who were still there struggling to keep university autonomy alive had not *joined* the Whites even if some sympathized
I didn’t think it was possible, too. Hopefully after seeing this Drump 💩 show, the English will not allow this. And yes, I am calling out a specific region. Although, it would be interesting to see how fast the Scots, Welsh and N Irish try to rejoin the EU as a result.😆
It’s been bad before, but now all 3 branches seem to be in lock step. The US Supreme Court essentially gave Drump blanket immunity, Congress is controlled by his lackeys that attempted to toss the 2020 election and now Drump 2.0 has control of the executive.
I'm a college sociology professor retiring this year (earlier than I intended) because of Trump and this anti-education, anti-science, anti-truth administration.
Unfortunately, universities have that right. It’s intended to deal with discovery after the fact. For example, someone had cheated somehow and they just found out after they gave that person a degree last year.
Cheating I understand, but political speech? Nope. Always go back to the "agreement." I doubt that political speech is in the "manual," as a reason to pull a degree.
It depends whats in the college requirements, and they're posted or kept somewhere, for pulling a college degree. Objecting to someone's speech can't be one of them. So yeah, if they sue, I think they have a good change of winning.
Anyone whose degree was rescinded needs to sue. There are a lot of lawyers, plus the ACLU, only to happy to take on fascism and those that buckle to it.
not to mention institution and program specific courses, bailing on a year worth of credits is now a consideration. I know she's not the only one in this situation and it sucks.
Columbia U couldn't cave fast enough to kiss his ass. What a clusterfuck. No one should apply to attend or teach there. This is going to hurt the University in ways they could not have anticipated. Is Katrina Armstrong now running out to buy a Tesla? Idiots.
Most of it isn't endowments. Most of their assets are in real estate. They could easily borrow against them to cover shortfalls until they work out a better deal with Trump or he's gone. Don't believe their lies. They're capitulating because they are happy to.
Blessings to colleagues at Teachers College. Not sure what contractual obligations exist, but these are quality professors who should have no problem finding another institution that values their talent & integrity.
I know, truly sad. I'm just waiting for another Kent State incident to happen. For me, that was right up there with the Viet Nam war itself! That was the day I realized freedom was not guaranteed and life in America was a lie.
I doubt they'll get the money. Then they'll need to sue. Which is what they should've done in the first instance, when they could've been heroes. Now, like Great Britain in the 1930s, they just look like appeasers who eventually had to fight the Nazis anyway. Those who cannot remember the past ...
Who the F wants to associate with any fuck who supports the existence of #Israel? Its occupation of stolen land and the slow and deliberate #genocide of the native population. Oh wait…
#WhiteWesternChristian!
Most of the top private universities could survive the loss of federal funds if they were willing to dip into their endowments. But, that cash is sacrosanct.
This is crap. Nobody knows what is going to happen and nobody knew until it happened. Things could have gone many ways. Our Democracy is at risk and an authoritarian regime has taken over. Where it goes now we dont know. But I for one do not plan on ever ever ever giving up the fight
So disappointed by #Columbia's decision. Hoped the University which help end Apartheid in South Africa would again stand up for what's RIGHT! The University is WEALTHY. Give Trump the finger and he would back down!
Now. Can they really say no mask. What if for health reasons you wish to wear one... or need to wear one...
And. Isn't that unconstitutional? Didn't SCOTUS say that masks are a form of speech...
Sue the mother fuc.....
They aren't saying no mask. They're saying if you wear one and you're asked to identify yourself, you have to do so. Which is how it is now. I wear a mask all the time. When I go to the Morningside campus, I not only have to scan my ID but also remove my mask for a facial check. It's a police state.
To think they did this in 1939... chilling the parallels...
It's a warning shot to all of us, slave labor camps in other nations, law firms caving in... politicians afraid of their own shadows, hatred for the "other" escalating uniting w/ other authoritarians... the brick will hit your face soon.
How many educators, scientists, medical people, workers.... You know, the folks that really make this country great, are going to say "to hell with this" and go to some country that appreciates them? All this crap is going to hammer us for years to come.
I feel bad for all educators —from kindergarten to universities —who do not have the necessary support to do their work—the work of teaching is the backbone of democracy …
Not at Columbia, where there is really nothing more than an "advisory" role. Many faculty—from the law school, political science, Teachers College, etc., as well as individually—did try their best to make clear the legal, ethical, and moral path forward: Columbia could be a leader by suing. But no.
Thanks very much. Really appreciate it. We have a URI prof friend and get the impression teachers have little/no influence on important matters, which seems pretty root-cause-of-many-problems-ey to me, but being outside the fold it’s hard to know. Thanks again.
Yeah. Very problematic. Those places with unionized faculty (here in New York City that would be CUNY and New School) have it much better, but there aren't enough of them. Yet.
"Oh, won't somebody think of the poor third-world immigrants causing violence and disruptions on college campuses all over this country? What would we ever do without them?"
Americans are sick leftists rioting and blocking highways every year or so. We aren't going to let random foreigners do it.
Why should I care these people with zero ties to this country, its history, its culture, or its values, got arrested after causing chaos at one of our universities? They can get the fuck out.
They have no right to come to this country and break the law. They have no respect. They need to go back.
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My husband is a soon-to-retire academic dean and former biology professor. He did his PhD at UW, and was on the faculty of UC Irvine followed by New Mexico State University. He is retiring from UT Rio Grande Valley. He was offered a "buy out."
Holy shit, Kevin. Every academic -- even at complete non-entity tiny trivial podunk univs. like mine that aren't at all on the radar -- needs to make detailed contingency plans right the fuck now.
I'm not an academic but I travel in their circles. I make a point to be there physically, often, at my alma mater, and to be sure my name is associated with them. I will support them any way I can. And this isn't going to stop with academics.
Comments
Should have just kept being a school.
A sit in is a bad idea because you never know who they’ll kidnap next. Better if everyone refuses to go to class. Let Armstrong enjoy an empty campus.
I guess we can all better understand how Vichy France happened now
https://www.youtube.com/live/ENcJbW-qu9g
We respect academia and are better for it.
Knowledge = Power
Thats why the 🍊💩 killed it!
Like unions
Linke ngos
Like big lawyers firms giving money
Like tech companies giving money
Failure to resist is systemic, no one understand what is happening : power grab.
Resistance
I’m Diana. My family and I are facing very difficult circumstances in Gaza, and we need your help. Any donation, no matter how small, can make a big difference in our lives. If you can contribute or even share this message, I would be deeply grateful. Thank you sono..
The Democratic party is the only institution that can get us out of this. You may not like it, but you better start supporting it.
I'm French, my message was about general resistance .
NEVER admit wrongdoing.
COUNTERSUE because they are wrong.
“Attack. Attack. Attack.”
"No matter what happens, claim victory & never admit defeat... & party on!
NEVER admit wrongdoing.
COUNTERSUE because they are wrong.
Attack. Attack. Attack.
“No matter what happens, claim victory & never admit defeat. . . & party on!
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-university-400-million.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20250321&instance_id=150659&nl=from-the-times®i_id=116603153&segment_id=194098&user_id=630b08a582aa1137d8262e9f81c2a04e
They had an almost 12% return last year.
They could take this hit, not even notice it, and recoup it within 3 months.
No one should have any respect for an administration that would completely fuck its community over to save a few bucks.
Hell, I would have donated
I hope the rest of higher education sees the opportunity and bands together.
The pattern is clear to anyone with the most basic of pattern recognition skills.
He makes wild threats and accusations. If you cave, he parades you around like a trophy.
And then he screws you over in every way he threatened to in the first place.
Rinse and repeat.
Other institutions have slashed admits, perhaps for the near future, so transferring is out.
Columbia has made it clear they'll sell anyone down the river if needed, so protest seems futile.
Finish up ASAP and GTFO, I guess?
The morality of one Jesuit vs. Columbia. Shocker.
Doesn't mean there isn't a time, of course.
… and I can, in a very small way, even note certain alarming parallels from a position of some expertise
https://bsky.app/profile/sdfstu.bsky.social/post/3lkw7ghjqp222
But the events I wrote about are after the Civil War, and those who were still there struggling to keep university autonomy alive had not *joined* the Whites even if some sympathized
Sorry, Columbia.
https://secretary.columbia.edu/directory
What a tragic end to a significant institution.
This is really depressing
Will be full of MAGAts now.
Did Trump turn the tap back on?
Not that I've heard.
#WhiteWesternChristian!
Not enough people care. The American experiment is dead.
I hate to say I called Trump's 2024 win too, but being in TX I saw it coming - for years in fact.
"Oh, so you graduated from fascist U?"
And. Isn't that unconstitutional? Didn't SCOTUS say that masks are a form of speech...
Sue the mother fuc.....
Columbia students need to take a lesson from Ecuador
https://ddrn.dk/13646/
It's a warning shot to all of us, slave labor camps in other nations, law firms caving in... politicians afraid of their own shadows, hatred for the "other" escalating uniting w/ other authoritarians... the brick will hit your face soon.
https://president.columbia.edu/content/fulfilling-our-commitments
Americans are sick leftists rioting and blocking highways every year or so. We aren't going to let random foreigners do it.
They have no right to come to this country and break the law. They have no respect. They need to go back.
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/208/everyone-is-welcome-here-shirts-thousands-opposing-west-ada-decision/277-931a68c1-8fbe-4d29-a444-eb0c3ed944e4