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Columbia University reviewed demands from anti-Israel students and suspended just four: GOP report

Columbia University reviewed demands from anti-Israel students and suspended just four: GOP report

Harvard University President Claudine Gay and other administrators deliberately cut short the wording of their condemnation of the mass killing of more than 1,200 civilians by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, as “violence” and references to Israeli hostages in an official statement following the brutal attack, a stunning House committee report showed Thursday.

The Committee on Education and Workforce, headed by the Republican Party report on 122 pages found that leaders of Ivy League universities made a “deliberate decision” to water down their Oct. 9 statement, which had so far not condemned the Hamas attack, according to documents, some of which were obtained through a subpoena.

“We condemn this act of terrorism,” read an earlier draft of the statement, which was rejected.

Columbia University administrators considered giving in to anti-Israel student demands, including divesting funds from companies with ties to Israel, a report from a Republican House committee found. Reuters

Harvard Law School’s then-dean John Manning, who later became the school’s chancellor, successfully lobbied against the addition of additional language that referred to the hundreds of hostages taken by Hamas.

“For many at Harvard, violence hits too close to home,” an earlier draft said. “Some members of our community have lost family members and friends; some have not been able to contact their loved ones, and others fear that their loved ones may have been taken hostage.”

Administrators also refused to report a joint statement by 31 Harvard student groups holding Israel “fully responsible” for the atrocities committed by Hamas.

“It might be slicing it too thin. But I also wonder, if the decision is not intended to express institutional condemnation of Hamas’ terrorist acts, whether there might still be a way to distance the university from the “Israel bears full responsibility” statement reportedly issued by a group of 31 Harvard students — and attracting widespread media attention (not to mention Rep. (Elise) Stefanik’s censure),” University Secretary Mark Goodhart wrote in an Oct. 9, 2023, email.

Gay and several deans were also the most vocal in favor of the final statement, which expressed a moral equivalence between the terrorist act by Hamas and Israel’s declaration of war against the jihadists in Gaza.

Penny Pritzker, a senior research fellow at the Harvard Corporation, called the statement, in retrospect, “grossly inappropriate at the time and insufficient.”

Hundreds of anti-Israel students set up a tent camp on Columbia University’s South Lawn on April 17 and immediately engaged in negotiations with the university administration. Getty Images

“For over a year, the American people have watched anti-Semitic mobs run so-called elite universities, but what’s been going on behind the scenes is perhaps worse,” Education Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in a statement.

“While the Jewish students showed incredible courage and refusal to be persecuted, the university administrators, faculty and staff were cowards who completely capitulated to the mob and failed the students they were supposed to serve,” Fox noted.

Pritzker also pushed Gay to admit that student posters proclaiming “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” or any variation thereof were “blatantly” anti-Semitic, pointing out that alumni wondered “why are we going to tolerate this , not signs”. calling for lynching by the KKK.”

The president dodged the inquiry and referred it to then-provost Alan Garber, who responded in an October 22, 2023 email that “the genocidal overtones used by Hamas supporters seem pretty obvious to me,” but “that’s not the same as saying there is consensus that the phrase itself is always anti-Semitic.”

Talks between protesting students and administrators broke down on April 29, despite Columbia President Minoush Shafiq praising the “important ideas that emerged from this dialogue.” Getty Images

Gay acknowledged in another email the same day that her concern about calling the phrase anti-Semitic “prompts the question of what are we doing about it, which is discipline.”

In two months Stefanyk (R-NY) grilled Gay over distinction at a hearing before the House Committee on Education and Labor on December 5.

“Do Calls for the Genocide of Jews Violate Harvard University’s Rules on Bullying and Harassment? Yes or no?” asked the chairman of the Republican conference in the House of Representatives.

“It might depend on the context,” Gay responded, a remark that was widely condemned by Republicans, Democrats and the White House.

“It doesn’t depend on the context — the answer is yes, and that’s why you should resign,” Stefanik replied.

In total, Columbia has suspended only four students in disciplinary proceedings for anti-Semitism. AFP via Getty Images

Gay went on to privately deride Stefanik as a “supporter” of the far-right “Proud Boys” who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, while admitting that her testimony was wrong.

Minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting obtained by the House committee show that Gay said “she should have made the point that calls for violence against the Jewish (sic) community should not be allowed.”

The president also disparaged Stefanik as a “spreader of hatred” and a “supporter of proud boys.”

The House committee report also found “egregious concessions” and other failures by officials at Columbia, Yale, MIT, Northwestern University, Rutgers and UCLA that led to an outbreak of anti-Semitism on campus over the past year.

The committee’s report also found that Harvard University administrators made a “deliberate decision” to tone down their statement, which did not condemn the Hamas attack. Reuters

Reviewed by Columbia University administrators succumbed to the demands of anti-Israel students and ended with the suspension of only four student protesters.

Hundreds of anti-Israel students set up a tent camp on Columbia University’s South Lawn on April 17 and immediately began negotiating with the university administration about terms on which they would end their protest.

Administrators quickly compiled a “menu” of responses to the demands, according to emails, documents and interviews conducted by the House committee.

First, they suggested that Columbia University’s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investment review the demonstrators’ plans to boycott Israeli-linked firms and defense manufacturers that supply weapons to the US and its allies.

A Republican-led education commission accused Columbia University administrators of “appeasing” the demonstrators, prompting other students to set up similar tent camps across the country. Reuters

They also proposed a new student exchange program with al-Quds University in the West Bank, an institution that has hosted pro-Hamas rallies and at least one demonstration in which participants waved flags depicting suicide bombers and gave Nazi salutes.

In addition, they proposed an amnesty for all students temporarily suspended following the establishment of the Gaza Solidarity camp, as well as a path to the reinstatement of the suspended student groups that lead it: Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Both groups were banned from campus after holding events a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre that promoted “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” against Jewish students.

This hostile environment for Jews continued at the camp, where students hailed Hamas terrorists as “martyrs” and at least one of its leaders stated: “Zionists do not deserve to live.”

Some Harvard leaders said student posters proclaiming “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” or any variation thereof were “blatantly” anti-Semitic, but were pushed back. Getty Images

Negotiations between them and the administrators broke down on April 29, even as the president of Colombia Minush Shafik praised the “important ideas that emerged as a result of this dialogue.”

“We plan to explore their pursuit in the future,” promised Shafiq, who resigned from his position in August.

The NYPD cleared Columbia’s anti-Israel encampment and stormed occupied Hamilton Hall on the night of April 30. 112 people were arrested. At least 80 were students and 32 were not affiliated with the school.

While the university promised to expel 22 people who occupied Hamilton Hall, only three were suspended and one was placed on disciplinary probation. The rest have graduated or remain at a good level.

“It may depend on the context,” Harvard University President Claudine Gay said in response to a question by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) whether “calls for the genocide of Jews” violate the school code. Getty Images

Columbia University apartheid activist Kimani James, who told administrators that they should “be thankful i don’t just go out and kill zionists,” was suspended last spring, but he and the band have maintained their hateful rhetoric.

In all, according to the committee’s report, Columbia suspended just four students as part of disciplinary proceedings for anti-Semitism, placed 41 on probation, issued four more behavioral warnings and conducted “mandatory alternative resolution process interviews” with 15 students. .

The Republican-led board of education accused the school’s administrators of “appeasing” the demonstrators, prompting other students to set up similar tent camps at Rutgers and Brown universities.

“By rewarding egregious misconduct with egregious concessions rather than enforcing university rules, these agreements set dangerous precedents that create future chaos and could open colleges and universities to potential Title VI violations,” the report said, citing the federal anti-discrimination law at on the basis of common origin.

“Our investigation found that these ‘leaders’ are responsible for the chaos that likely violates Title VI and threatens public safety,” Fox said.

“It’s time for the executive branch to enforce the law and enforce law enforcement at colleges and universities and ensure a safe learning environment for all students.”

“Columbia strongly condemns anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, and we firmly believe that calls for violence or harm have no place at our university,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “Since taking office in August, Interim President Armstrong and her leadership team have taken decisive action to strengthen Columbia’s academic mission, make our community safe, and address the Committee’s concerns, including by strengthening and clarifying our disciplinary processes.”

“Under new university leadership, we have created a centralized Office of Institutional Equity to handle all reports of discrimination and harassment, appointed a new policy administrator, and expanded the capabilities of our Office of Public Safety,” the spokesperson added. “We strive to apply the rules fairly, consistently and effectively.”

Harvard officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.