The president of Columbia University and the co-chairs of its Board of Trustees are scheduled to testify next month at a House hearing about antisemitism at the institution.
This hearing will be the House Education and Workforce Committee’s second, focusing on how specific institutions responded to antisemitic incidents on campus following the Israel-Hamas war that began in October.
Columbia president Minouche Shafik, invited to testify at the December hearing but was out of the country then, is now set to appear before the committee on April 17.
Colombia President (Credits: The Cradle)
She will be joined by board co-chairs Claire Shipman and David Greenwald. The hearing is titled “Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism.”
Since the start of the war, Columbia has faced many incidents and suspended two of its pro-Palestinian student groups for violating a campus protest policy.
Last month, the committee opened a formal investigation into Columbia, requesting documents about its response to incidents and its disciplinary process for students and faculty accused of antisemitism.
Colombia President (Credits: Reuters)
The Office of Civil Rights has also opened two federal investigations into allegations of discrimination, including antisemitism, at the university.
Representative Virginia Foxx, the Republican chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, emphasized the severity of the antisemitic incidents at Columbia, stating, “Some of the worst cases of antisemitic assaults, harassment and vandalism on campus have occurred at Columbia University.”
Foxx highlighted the need for Columbia’s leadership to address these issues and enforce policies to protect Jewish students.
