The Ivy League school announced the layoffs as the institution faces financial strain following the Trump administration’s decision to pull millions in federal funding in March following its ‘mishandling’ of protests against Israel.  ‘Columbia’s leadership continues discussions with the federal government in support of resuming activity on these research awards and additional other awards that have remained active, but unpaid,’ the letter said.  Gov.

Josh Shapiro ‘s office declined to comment Tuesday about the bill, although the Democrat has in the past expressed opposition to such bans, calling 2022’s bill “nothing more than cruel, designed to discriminate against transgender youth who just want to play sports like their peers.” Indicating the true purpose of education is not drilling, or teaching a lot of useless facts (which one can find on the Internet anyway), nor submission to established societal values, but leading out that which already is within.

An educator, then, is a person who helps one achieve the fullness of one’s potential without trying to impose his own viewpoints. In response to Trump´s order, the NCAA revised its transgender participation policy to limit women´s college sports to athletes assigned as female at birth. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a governing body for smaller schools, effectively banned transgender athletes in 2023 from women´s sports.

Though Columbia caved to Trump’s orders, students, staff, faculty and alumni held a protest against the university’s decision to comply. A 25-hour ‘speak out’ protest was organized last week where one student labeled the cuts imposed by Trump as ‘an all-out attack on science and academic freedom’ HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels, although the Republican-penned bill is unlikely to get a vote in the state’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

The bill passed, 32-18, with five Democrats crossing party lines to join with all 27 Republicans in voting “yes.” The vote marked the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. An earlier attempt, in concert with a Republican-controlled House, met then-Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto pen in 2022. This time, Senate Republicans are advancing the effort after President Donald Trump declared his intent to “keep men out of women´s sports.” and made it a major campaign issue in last year’s election, dividing Democrats on how to respond.

In February, the PIAA changed its policy in a move that some officials said was designed to follow Trump’s order, except that lawyers on both sides of the issue say the change in policy wording does nothing of the sort. Previously, the PIAA´s policy had deferred to school principals to determine an athlete´s “gender” when “questioned or uncertain.” It changed the policy to defer to principals to determine a student´s “sex” when “questioned or uncertain,” and added a line that says that, in accordance with Trump´s executive order, “schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order.” It also prohibits any sort of government agency or athletic association from investigating or punishing a school or higher education institution for maintaining separate sports teams for girls or women.

For well over an hour, Republicans and Democrats debated the bill, at times hotly. The sponsor, Sen. Judy Ward, a Republican from Blair County, said the bill would “ensure all young women have a fair chance to compete in the sports they love.