Good afternoon, Columbia community. Today is Monday, August 11, 2025, and here are the latest updates from our campus.
Columbia University has experienced a significant data breach affecting approximately 870,000 individuals, including current and former students, staff, applicants, and family members. The breach, discovered after a system outage on June 24, 2025, involved unauthorized access to the university’s network, resulting in the theft of around 460 gigabytes of data. Compromised information includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, academic histories, financial aid records, demographic details, insurance, and health-related data. While there's no evidence of misuse at this time, Columbia is offering affected individuals two years of free credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services through Kroll. The university has confirmed that records from its medical center were not affected. Experts recommend using identity theft protection services and practicing good cyber hygiene to mitigate potential risks.
Columbia University has agreed to a $221 million settlement with the Trump administration over allegations of antisemitism related to student protests and academic content concerning the Gaza War. The agreement includes significant restrictions, such as prohibiting diversity criteria in admissions and hiring, mandatory reporting of expelled foreign students, and the installation of a federal monitor. Acting President Claire Shipman described the settlement as a pragmatic compromise to restore $400 million in previously frozen federal funds. Critics argue that this sets a precedent for increased federal oversight in higher education, with similar pressures mounting on other institutions like Harvard.
August, an AI startup founded in 2023 by Columbia alumni Rutvik Rau, Thomas Bueler-Faudree, and Joseph Parker, has raised $7 million in a seed funding round led by NEA and Pear VC. The company focuses on automating document-heavy legal tasks for midsize law firms, aiming to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. The investment round also saw participation from notable figures such as Gokul Rajaram, Geoff Charles of Ramp, David Azose of OpenAI, and Kevin Zhang of Bain Capital Ventures. Based in New York, August plans to expand its team from 12 to 25–30 by the end of the year.
The Ivy League has announced its preseason poll, with the Columbia Lions football team projected to finish fourth in the conference. The poll results are as follows:
1. Harvard
2. Dartmouth
3. Yale
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. Penn
7. Cornell
8. Brown
The Lions are preparing for the upcoming season under second-year head coach Jon Poppe.
Currently, it's sunny and 75 degrees Fahrenheit in New York City. Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the day, reaching a high of 91 degrees by mid-afternoon. Please stay hydrated and take necessary precautions during the heat.
That's all for today's update. Stay safe and take care.