Unions and students seek Columbia University board reforms after Trump deal

 

Activists want a board of trustees that is more transparent and representative of the students and faculty

Students and Columbia University's chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) launched a campaign on Tuesday to reform the institution’s most powerful governing body, the board of trustees.

The decision comes after more than two years of what they say is disenfranchisement over the way Columbia's board of trustees has handled several issues, including permitting the police to target the student body multiple times while they were protesting against Israel’s war on Gaza and capitulating to the Trump administration’s demands over alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws.

While the encampments inspired other students at campuses across the country to protest, pro-Palestine students at Columbia paid a heavy price. Hundreds of students were arrested, dozens suspended, and several targeted for deportation. Activists say those actions have had a chilling effect on free speech on campus.

Michael Thaddeus, a mathematics professor and vice-president of Columbia's chapter of AAUP, told Middle East Eye that the idea to reform the board arose last summer, following the maelstrom and Columbia's agreement to a $220m settlement with the Trump administration for alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws. 

AAUP had discussions with students, alumni, and community members, and a strategy to reform the board came up repeatedly.

Thaddeus said, “There are many things that we’re deeply, deeply unhappy about. One of them is the decision to call the police in response to the encampments, the occupation of Hamilton Hall and the demonstration in Butler Library in May of 2025.

“We're deeply unhappy with the decision to negotiate with the federal government rather than fighting their demands the way Harvard did. Columbia more or less acquiesced to those demands and made unprecedented concessions to the government on matters of hiring, curriculum, discipline and admissions. That was a deeply misguided decision," he added.  (more...)

Unions and students seek Columbia University board reforms after Trump deal