NEW YORK — Columbia University said Monday that it has removed three administrators from their positions and will keep them on leave indefinitely after finding that text messages they exchanged during a campus discussion about Jewish life “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.”
In a letter to the Columbia community, university president Minouche Shafik and provost Angela Olinto said the administrators have been permanently removed from their positions at the university’s undergraduate Columbia College. The college’s dean, who previously apologized for his part in the text exchanges, will remain in that role.
The university will also launch a “vigorous” antisemitism and antidiscrimination training program for faculty and staff in the fall, as well as related training for students, Shafik said.
The administrators, whom the university did not identify by name, were first put on leave last month after a conservative news outlet published images of what it said were text messages they exchanged while attending the May 31 panel discussion “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future.”
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce published some of the messages last week.
“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” Shafik wrote. “Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting.”
Olinto wrote that the administrators’ conduct was “wrong and contrary to the mission and values of our institution. It revealed, at best, an ignorance of the history of antisemitism.”
The news outlet, the Washington Free Beacon, published examples on June 12 and 21 of what it said were some of the text exchanges.
Among them was a message suggesting that a panelist could have used recent campus protests as a fundraising opportunity and another that appeared critical of a campus rabbi’s essay about antisemitism.
Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett, whose text messages were among those published by the Free Beacon, will continue to lead the college after apologizing and committing to working to fix damage caused by the text exchanges, Olinto said.
US to keep eye on Brown University
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Monday that it entered into an agreement with Brown University to make sure the school is in compliance with federal law barring discrimination and harassment against students of Jewish, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim ancestry.
A complaint was filed against the university in December, according to the department.
Brown officials said the school voluntarily agreed “to clarify and enhance existing policies and procedures related to the resolution of discrimination and harassment complaints, including those related to antisemitism.”
The university denied that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when handling matters alleged in a complaint which it said had been filed by the editor of an online media outlet with no affiliation with Brown or presence on campus.
As part of the resolution, Brown agreed to continue efforts to conduct nondiscrimination training for members of the campus community.
The Office of Civil Rights investigation confirmed the university has taken what it described as notable steps to support a nondiscriminatory campus environment, including providing student and staff workshops on combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate.
According to the investigation, the school received some 75 reports of alleged antisemitic, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim harassment against students from October 2023 through late March 2024, but appeared to take no or little action in response other than to acknowledge receipt of the reports, list support resources and request to meet with the those making the complaints.
These reports include allegations students pointed at a Jewish classmate’s Star of David jewelry and yelled “Zionist pig Jew;” a Palestinian-American student’s roommate berated them about their Palestinian-American identity; and students blocked a Jewish classmate from attending a pro-Palestinian rally.
During the investigation, the university revised its practices, including focusing on protecting the safety of its community, in particular the needs and safety of its students, faculty and staff who are Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish, have ties to the region and are feeling affected by current events.
Information for this article was contributed by Steve LeBlanc of The Associated Press.
