I was formerly a PhD student at Columbia in the social sciences. The faculty I interacted with didn't seem to care a whit one way or the other about the school at large, they were just really invested in the department's competitiveness in attracting faculty, grad students, etc.

I can't speak to any run-down labs, but regarding cramped working conditions -- space is just always going to be at a premium in Manhattan. Arguably Columbia is going above and beyond to acquire more space by opening up the Manhattanville campus [0,1,2].

In general, when academics complain about things, I take it with a grain of salt. Having said that, I don't doubt for a minute that the administration juked the stats to get a better USN&W ranking.

[0] (https://neighbors.columbia.edu/news/robert-fullilove-appoint...

[1] https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-twin-buildings-with-s...

[2] https://ny.eater.com/2022/2/22/22939502/columbia-jerome-gree...