Columbia University’s decision-makers had the good sense to yield to Trump administration demands this week, allowing the university to meet the preconditions necessary to restore $400 million in federal funding. 

The university has agreed to several reforms, including banning masks at protests, enhanced discipline and expulsion of disruptive protesters, and ending unauthorized encampments on campus. The sticking point in negotiations came from Trump’s request that the school’s Department of Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies be placed under “academic receivership,” meaning it would no longer be controlled by faculty. In the end, Columbia conceded to a compromise that sidestepped the label but not the intent of the demand by appointing a new senior vice provost to oversee and review these departments, ensuring “balanced” offerings.