Universities are businesses. Their source of income is not tuition and fees alone but grants that pay overhead. Those grants are given by the federal government.
Columbia at risk to lose $400M. Would you be the President who holds fast to their principles and crashes the university? Or perhaps you think the alumni will come though year-after-year to back that up. Columbia’s president took one for the team by acceding to the extortion and then resigning. The current Administration is extorting research universities just as it is countries and law firms. Our country just hasn’t seen such shakedowns since Tammany Hall.
I think it is shameful that university administrators, especially at universities that have the largest reputations and also the largest endowments, have shown themselves to be so utterly morally bankrupt, so utterly incapable of actually prioritizing their students, faculty, and intellectual missions. It is not surprising in the slightest, however; it was made very clear last summer that their fear of bad publicity and their fear of their worst-but-richest alumni could be used to make them do anything. They folded last summer, and that made them obvious victims for further abuse now. They’ll fold again, and — guess what — it’s not going to save them. They’ll lose the money and they’ll lose the respect. Their administrators are both idiots and cowards.
Columbia has an endowment of $15 billion. Harvard has an endowment $53 billion. Yes, loosing hundreds of millions in grant monies would hurt in the short term. But these are not cash-strapped places. We are talking about a few percentage points of their cash hoards. I am aware that endowments are not bank accounts, but the general point that these universities have enough in their investments to coast for quite some time is still true.
Let’s imagine a world in which they said, stuff it, we’re sticking to our guns. What happens then? Yes, there’s a loss of revenue. Belt tightening. Hiring freezes. But they’d have the best damned excuse to raise tuition, solicit alumni for donations, freeze salaries, and so on. They’d be immune to the normal griping — they’d be doing a heroic sacrifice. Any administrator who got canned for standing up to this rot would be hailed as a hero and have rich opportunities in their future (to say nothing of whatever golden parachute they’d be getting).
Instead they’re going to end up probably needing to do all that stuff anyway, but after showing that they stand for nothing. I am thoroughly unimpressed. But, again, not surprised. These people have no sense of the world they are living in, and somehow never see it to ask the experts who work for them for input on such matters, either.
As an alumnus of Columbia, I can tell you that I am wildly ashamed of their response to trump. At the same time, I’m even madder at trump for his massive shift toward fascism. If great institutions like Columbia and Harvard are not going to stand up to him, who will?
Yes and no. It’s not just this administration, it’s thousands of ultra rich donors and pacs like AIPAC that have been driving this. Universities failing to bend the knee will be destroyed financially and in other opportunities (donations, job fairs, etc). Just look at what happened because of one stupid letter at HLS – nearly every student from that year was targeted, dox’d, and blacklisted from major jobs.
It really sucks, but life is not as romantic as "fight back" especially when you’re fighting against a changing national tune, billionaires, and even foreign influence like Israel.
The university has to do what’s best for the university. Standing up for insert cause here is great but if it puts the continued operation of the university in jeopardy then they will pick the safe route every time.
Absolutely. My alma mater has been one of the worst in this regard and I’m just mortified and angry about it. The school where I teach hasn’t been much better, but what can you expect from a state school in a red state with a president installed by the state government to do its bidding.
There will always be rogue intelligent professors and a few admins here or there, but by and large these administrators are cowards whose only concern is funding, not justice or the lens of history that will look back on them in shame and awe at their acquiescence.
I’m Ashamed — More Americans Need to See the Slippery Slope We’re On
I’m genuinely ashamed that more people in this country aren’t seeing what’s happening — the blatant erosion of constitutional rights, and how closely it mirrors dark chapters of our own history.
Let me break it down:
Red Scare / McCarthyism — Government-approved witch hunts for “un-American” behavior. Lives ruined. Civil liberties trampled. Backed by Republicans.
Japanese Internment Camps — 120,000 people (many citizens) forcibly relocated, imprisoned without due process, simply for their ancestry.
Now? We’re stripping Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from nearly half a million people — families from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua — who came here legally under a previous administration. They’ve built lives here. Have jobs, kids in schools, community ties. They now have 30 days to leave or face deportation. Some may be killed if they return. Where is the due process? Where is the humanity?
There was another time — not in America — when a charismatic outsider came to power. He blamed the establishment, said his country had lost its way. He promised to “Make it Great Again.” He built a movement targeting the youth, centered on national identity and blaming “the other.”
At first, it sounded patriotic. But step by step: dissent silenced, rights stripped, power consolidated… you know the rest.
I’m not saying we’re going there.
I am saying that’s what happens when power goes unchecked.
We are supposed to have three co-equal branches of government.
Right now? The Executive Branch owns Congress. The Judicial branch is trying to hold the line, but it’s not enough.
How do we stop this? “We the People.” That’s how.
Voter-Enforced Term Limits.
Vote. Them. All. Out.
Midterms. Generals. Every incumbent — unless they’ve proven they’re standing up in hearings and making real sense — GONE. Both sides.
They’re all bought and paid for by lobbyists and corporate money anyway.
Half the GOP is afraid of Musk’s money. So let’s make it easy. Anyone funded by Musk? OUT.
Let’s keep rotating out incumbents until someone finally has the spine to pass:
• Constitutional Term Limits
• Campaign Finance Transparency
• Lobbying Restrictions
• Ban on Corporate PAC Donations
• End Dark Money Attack Ads
This country doesn’t belong to billionaires, lobbyists, or legacy politicians.
It belongs to us.
They better. They need to shape up and stop with the politics. I know you liberals are going to say that’s not happening but your gas lighting You know it’s happening You just like it and want it to continue. They are farming leftists in college and everyone knows it.
Comments
Self-preservation
No
I have zero connections to those private universities. I simply don’t care what they do.
Why cross-post this in at least 10 different subreddits?
it’s shameful, but I am not personally ashamed, no.
What is their other option?
Edit: Happy for the downvotes but I’m earnestly interested in answers as to what practical other choice these universities have.
Universities are businesses. Their source of income is not tuition and fees alone but grants that pay overhead. Those grants are given by the federal government.
Yes.
Columbia at risk to lose $400M. Would you be the President who holds fast to their principles and crashes the university? Or perhaps you think the alumni will come though year-after-year to back that up. Columbia’s president took one for the team by acceding to the extortion and then resigning. The current Administration is extorting research universities just as it is countries and law firms. Our country just hasn’t seen such shakedowns since Tammany Hall.
I did not think academia would fall so quickly.
But on the other hand, students at those institutions know now. This will definitely leave a lasting impression on the minds of those students.
Meh. Always kinda felt they were cowards at the top so not super surprised.
Fucking yes. Anti zionism is not anti semitism. Regardless, a university should defend ideas and discussions.
Ashamed, yes.
Surprised, no.
No. It’s about time they stopped aiding terrorists
I think it is shameful that university administrators, especially at universities that have the largest reputations and also the largest endowments, have shown themselves to be so utterly morally bankrupt, so utterly incapable of actually prioritizing their students, faculty, and intellectual missions. It is not surprising in the slightest, however; it was made very clear last summer that their fear of bad publicity and their fear of their worst-but-richest alumni could be used to make them do anything. They folded last summer, and that made them obvious victims for further abuse now. They’ll fold again, and — guess what — it’s not going to save them. They’ll lose the money and they’ll lose the respect. Their administrators are both idiots and cowards.
Columbia has an endowment of $15 billion. Harvard has an endowment $53 billion. Yes, loosing hundreds of millions in grant monies would hurt in the short term. But these are not cash-strapped places. We are talking about a few percentage points of their cash hoards. I am aware that endowments are not bank accounts, but the general point that these universities have enough in their investments to coast for quite some time is still true.
Let’s imagine a world in which they said, stuff it, we’re sticking to our guns. What happens then? Yes, there’s a loss of revenue. Belt tightening. Hiring freezes. But they’d have the best damned excuse to raise tuition, solicit alumni for donations, freeze salaries, and so on. They’d be immune to the normal griping — they’d be doing a heroic sacrifice. Any administrator who got canned for standing up to this rot would be hailed as a hero and have rich opportunities in their future (to say nothing of whatever golden parachute they’d be getting).
Instead they’re going to end up probably needing to do all that stuff anyway, but after showing that they stand for nothing. I am thoroughly unimpressed. But, again, not surprised. These people have no sense of the world they are living in, and somehow never see it to ask the experts who work for them for input on such matters, either.
Absolutely
The whole country seems to lack real leadership at the moment.
Not really, because we all knew that it was going to happen.
Yes.
Yeah, but the capitulation doesn’t shock me.
Absolutely but Columbia has been kowtowing to Israel before this administration
But the loss is actually the people that work there. They are getting laid off
As an alumnus of Columbia, I can tell you that I am wildly ashamed of their response to trump. At the same time, I’m even madder at trump for his massive shift toward fascism. If great institutions like Columbia and Harvard are not going to stand up to him, who will?
Yes and no. It’s not just this administration, it’s thousands of ultra rich donors and pacs like AIPAC that have been driving this. Universities failing to bend the knee will be destroyed financially and in other opportunities (donations, job fairs, etc). Just look at what happened because of one stupid letter at HLS – nearly every student from that year was targeted, dox’d, and blacklisted from major jobs.
It really sucks, but life is not as romantic as "fight back" especially when you’re fighting against a changing national tune, billionaires, and even foreign influence like Israel.
The university has to do what’s best for the university. Standing up for insert cause here is great but if it puts the continued operation of the university in jeopardy then they will pick the safe route every time.
I don’t blame them one bit.
What are the facts of the case?
What’s shameful for academics is the lack discussion based on factual information
The case for Helyeh Doutagh seems pretty straightforward, given it involves supporting an organization labeled as terrorist in 2024.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/us/yale-suspends-scholar-terrorism.html
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2646
https://x.com/__Injaneb96/status/1900331237069238382
Absolutely. My alma mater has been one of the worst in this regard and I’m just mortified and angry about it. The school where I teach hasn’t been much better, but what can you expect from a state school in a red state with a president installed by the state government to do its bidding.
There will always be rogue intelligent professors and a few admins here or there, but by and large these administrators are cowards whose only concern is funding, not justice or the lens of history that will look back on them in shame and awe at their acquiescence.
Yes
Love it. End this woke bullshit.
I’m Ashamed — More Americans Need to See the Slippery Slope We’re On
I’m genuinely ashamed that more people in this country aren’t seeing what’s happening — the blatant erosion of constitutional rights, and how closely it mirrors dark chapters of our own history.
Let me break it down:
There was another time — not in America — when a charismatic outsider came to power. He blamed the establishment, said his country had lost its way. He promised to “Make it Great Again.” He built a movement targeting the youth, centered on national identity and blaming “the other.”
At first, it sounded patriotic. But step by step: dissent silenced, rights stripped, power consolidated… you know the rest.
I’m not saying we’re going there.
I am saying that’s what happens when power goes unchecked.
We are supposed to have three co-equal branches of government.
Right now? The Executive Branch owns Congress. The Judicial branch is trying to hold the line, but it’s not enough.
How do we stop this? “We the People.” That’s how.
Voter-Enforced Term Limits.
Vote. Them. All. Out.
Midterms. Generals. Every incumbent — unless they’ve proven they’re standing up in hearings and making real sense — GONE. Both sides.
They’re all bought and paid for by lobbyists and corporate money anyway.
Half the GOP is afraid of Musk’s money. So let’s make it easy. Anyone funded by Musk? OUT.
Let’s keep rotating out incumbents until someone finally has the spine to pass:
• Constitutional Term Limits
• Campaign Finance Transparency
• Lobbying Restrictions
• Ban on Corporate PAC Donations
• End Dark Money Attack Ads
This country doesn’t belong to billionaires, lobbyists, or legacy politicians.
It belongs to us.
I’m off my soapbox.
VoterEnforcedTermLimits
CampaignReform
TakeBackCongress
ProtectOurConstitution
NoMoreDarkMoney
Yes, cowardice. Next question
No, this was expected from the ivy league faculty. You can always tell a Milford man.
If i can force you to fall in line solely by cutting you off from money what else can I do?
This would be accurate for any person, place, or thing involving politics in this situation
A bunch of Ivy League professors are immigrating to Canada:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/local/article/3-ivy-league-scholars-plan-to-leave-us-and-teach-in-canada-amid-trump-administrations-higher-education-battle/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/yale-professor-moving-to-university-of-toronto-trump-administration-1.7494704
They better. They need to shape up and stop with the politics. I know you liberals are going to say that’s not happening but your gas lighting You know it’s happening You just like it and want it to continue. They are farming leftists in college and everyone knows it.