The prestigious halls of Columbia University, a beacon of academic excellence and intellectual discourse, find themselves once again under a cloud of controversy, as a Trump-era threat to its accreditation looms large.

"The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today notified Middle States Commission on Higher Education (the Commission) that its member institution, Columbia University, is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission," the release said.