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Columbia University is back in the spotlight as angry alumni take dramatic steps to protest the school’s dealings with the Trump administration. Dozens of former students ripped up their diplomas during a chaotic demonstration on campus this weekend. They claim Columbia sold out its values by agreeing to new rules cracking down on anti-Israel protests to get federal money back.
The White House yanked $400 million from Columbia last year after violent protests made Jewish students feel unsafe. President Trump demanded strict new campus policies before giving the cash back. The school agreed to ban face masks at rallies, let security arrest troublemakers, and put tough limits on where protests can happen. Critics say these rules crush free speech, but supporters argue they’re needed to stop lawlessness.
Things got even messier when Columbia’s interim president quit suddenly after getting caught in a scandal. Reports say Katrina Armstrong told Trump officials one thing about the deal while secretly badmouthing it to professors. Now a former TV reporter and Obama family friend, Claire Shipman, is taking over as temporary boss. She’ll have to clean up the mess while keeping the peace with Washington.
These diploma-shredding graduates say they’re following in the footsteps of Vietnam War protesters. One woman yelled “Free Palestine” as she tore her degree to pieces on camera. But most Americans watching see spoiled rich kids throwing tantrums. After all, these protesters paid up to $150,000 for that fancy Ivy League education – now they’re tearing up the very paper that proves it!
The Trump administration isn’t backing down. They’ve ordered Columbia to kick out students who break protest rules and even put the Middle East studies department on lockdown. New campus cops now patrol with arrest powers to keep radical groups in line. While woke professors whine about “fascism,” Jewish families finally feel their kids can walk to class without being harassed by Hamas supporters.
Not everyone’s happy with the changes. Left-wing teachers held a creepy “funeral” for academic freedom, moaning about political pressure. But let’s be real – universities have pushed liberal politics on students for decades. Now that conservatives are fighting back, suddenly it’s a “threat to democracy.” The same professors who stayed silent when conservatives got shouted down are crying foul now that their pet causes face consequences.
Chaos continues as ICE rounds up foreign students tied to anti-Israel groups. Mahmoud Khalil, a protest leader accused of Hamas ties, sits in a Louisiana jail while his lawyers scream foul. Meanwhile, applications to Columbia have tanked as smart kids think twice about joining a campus at war with itself. Who wants to pay top dollar for classes that get canceled by drum circles and tent cities?
This whole mess shows what happens when colleges let radicals run wild. For years, Columbia coddled anti-American activists and looked the other way as protests turned violent. Now adults are finally in charge – cleaning up the disaster and putting students’ safety before political games. Maybe these diploma-shredders should’ve spent less time protesting and more time actually learning something.
