During Wednesday’s House hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, all four Columbia University officials unequivocally stated that advocating for the genocide of Jewish people would violate campus policies.
When Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) posed the question, she emphasized her desire to steer clear of political agendas during the hearing.
University President Nemat Shafik, accompanied by two members of the board of trustees and a professor, affirmed that such advocacy would indeed contravene the school’s code of conduct. This stance sharply contrasts with previous responses given to the House Education Committee.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (Credits: NBC News)
David Greenwald, co-chair of the board, concurred with a simple “Yes, it does. “This affirmation starkly diverged from the responses given by the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during a December hearing initiated by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).
When asked the same question, those presidents equivocated, suggesting that the context would determine whether advocating for the genocide of Jewish people could be considered harassment on campus. This response sparked widespread criticism and led to resignations of the Harvard and Pennsylvania presidents.
Rep. Bonamici (Credits: New York Post)
Rep. Bonamici also inquired about chants during protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza that had made students uncomfortable.
In response, President Shafik expressed distress over such chants, emphasizing that they had no place on the Columbia campus. She noted that Jewish students had reported feeling threatened by such chants. All the officials present condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th and denounced antisemitism on the campus.
