Columbia University on Tuesday announced disciplinary measures against students involved in a pro-Palestinian protest held inside the campus’s main library before final exams in May, as well as for organizing an encampment during alumni weekend last year.

According to a student activist group, nearly 80 students have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The university confirmed that the sanctions, issued by a judicial board, also include probation and degree revocations.

The decision comes as Columbia negotiates with the Trump administration to regain $400 million in federal funding that was pulled in March. The administration accused the university of failing to address antisemitism on campus during protests over the Israel-Hamas war, which began in October 2023.

As part of efforts to restore the funding, Columbia has agreed to revamp its disciplinary process and adopt a new definition of antisemitism.

“We must focus on our academic mission,” the university said in a statement. “Disruptions to academic activities violate University policies and will have consequences.” The names of disciplined students were not made public.

In response to the funding cut, Columbia said in May it would lay off nearly 180 staff members and scale back research. Those affected represent about 20% of employees supported by the canceled grants.

Student activists called the disciplinary measures excessive compared to past protest cases. They said suspended students must write apology letters to return something many refuse to do. “We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” Columbia University Apartheid Divest said.

Columbia became a flashpoint for campus protests in spring 2024, when students set up an encampment and occupied a building in April, sparking arrests and nationwide demonstrations.

Since returning to office, President Trump has slashed funding to several universities he accuses of being soft on antisemitism and has targeted student protesters.

One such protester, Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident with no criminal record, was detained in March for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

He is now suing the Trump administration, alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and being wrongly labeled antisemitic.