Last week, Columbia University signed a deeply problematic $200 million “settlement” that would significantly weaken academic freedom, free speech, and student safety. Now, Brown is actively negotiating their own agreement, and the Trump Administration wants to use the Columbia deal as the template. We can’t let that happen.

The Columbia deal is extortion, pure and simple. With no due process, the Trump Administration cut off $400 million of already granted research funds. Then they demanded Columbia institute a raft of ideologically motivated policies to get the money back. The putative reason is fighting antisemitism, but their real motivation is leveraging federal funds to control how universities think, teach, and speak. Brown must not accept a deal like this.