Columbia University has decided to enforce a ban on masks and increase the authority of campus police after the Trump administration pressured the institution by withholding $400 million in federal funding.

“Freedom of expression is what enables the rigorous debate and free inquiry on which our academic mission depends,” Columbia University stated. “But demonstrations and other protest activities that occur inside academic buildings and places where academic activities take place present a direct impediment to maintaining our core academic mission,” it further said.

The decision has sparked academic discussion about balancing government oversight and academic independence. In a letter, interim president Katrina Armstrong announced that the university would appoint a senior vice provost to conduct a comprehensive review of its regional studies programs, “starting immediately with the Middle East.” Additionally, the university stated that it would reform its disciplinary policies and prohibit protests inside academic buildings.

“Students will not be permitted to wear face masks on campus for the purposes of concealing one’s identity. An exception would be made for people wearing them for health reasons,” the university declared.

The university is working to restore its federal funding after the White House cut it earlier this month due to antisemitism complaints from Jewish students. President Donald Trump ordered the funding cuts following a series of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University’s New York City campus, which intensified after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

As part of the university’s response, a 36-member internal security team will be given authority to remove or arrest individuals on campus. While masks will be banned, exceptions will be made for religious and health reasons. However, anyone participating in protests wearing a mask must show university identification upon request.

To promote "intellectual diversity," the university plans to hire new faculty for its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, introduce a new definition of antisemitism, and expand programs at Tel Aviv Centr,e a research facility in Israel. The White House has described the student-led protests as antisemitic, but many participants in the demonstrations have disagreed with this characterisation.