If they are Harvard students, I would recommend that Harvard throws the book at them.
But they might not be Harvard students. There are over 100K students in the Boston area, and Harvard is not a closed campus.
Barnumbiaâs announcements of:
a) the Task Force on Antisemitism, and
b) a Doxing Resource Group
Dear fellow members of the Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College communities,
Today we are announcing the formation of a Task Force on Antisemitism to enhance our ability to address this ancient, but terribly resilient, form of hatred. We are taking this step as part of a commitment to ensuring that our campuses are safe, welcoming, and inclusive for Jewish students, faculty and staff, and all of us.
One would hope that by the twenty-first century, antisemitism would have been relegated to the dustbin of history. But it has been rising here in New York, across the country, and around the world in recent years. We also know that antisemitism can escalate during conflicts far from our campuses, translating into hateful speech and acts directed at Jewish people here at Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College. We have been distressed that a series of antisemitic incidents on campus have been reported in the three weeks following the October 7 terror attack in Israel and outbreak of war in Gaza.
We want to reiterate that we will not tolerate such actions and are moving forcefully against antisemitic threats, images, and other violations as they are reported, and we will continue to provide additional resources to protect our campuses. But we also need to address the root causes. The Task Force on Antisemitism will be a critical tool for making our institutions more inclusive and compassionate.
In the coming months, the task force will identify practical ways for our safety and inclusion work to enhance support for all members of the Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College communities, particularly our Jewish students. Longer term, it will recommend more ambitious changes related to academic and extracurricular offerings and student, faculty, and staff training programs.
We are pleased that the task force will be led by Ester Fuchs, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science and Director of the Urban and Social Policy Program at SIPA; Nicholas Lemann, Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor of Journalism and Columbia Journalism School Dean Emeritus; and David M. Schizer, Harvey R. Miller Professor of Law and Economics and Columbia Law School Dean Emeritus. In the coming days, we will appoint Barnard and Teachers College co-chairs along with additional diverse task force members from the three institutions, and build the foundation for a thoughtful, rigorous, and impactful process.
Community and values donât stand on their own. We must constantly reaffirm and reinforce them with action. The Task Force on Antisemitism represents the first in a series of steps we will be announcing in the coming days to reinvigorate community building, develop robust support networks, and tackle head on the destructive forces that seek to cause harm and divide us across a range of issues. This is an opportunity for every academic department, every faculty member and teaching assistant, every member of the administration, and every member of the Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College student family to bring their ideas, life experiences, and spirit to help us emerge as a stronger and more cohesive community.
Minouche Shafik
President, Columbia University in the City of New YorkLaura Ann Rosenbury
President, Barnard CollegeThomas R. Bailey
President, Teachers College
Dear fellow members of the Columbia and Barnard communities,
The deliberate harassment and targeting of members of our community by doxing, a dangerous form of intimidation, is unacceptable. Many individuals, including students across several schools, have been subject to these attacks by third parties. This includes disturbing incidents in which trucks have circled the Columbia campus displaying and publicizing the names and photos of Arab, Muslim and Palestinian students.
We are grateful for the persistence and perseverance of the students, and their families, in the face of this harassment. We are assembling available resources to support them and the staff and faculty who are by their side.
To streamline support for the members of our community who are the targets of doxing, Columbia and Barnard together are establishing a Doxing Resource Group composed of key offices across both campuses that are focused on the issue. This group will serve as a centralized point of contact for issues related to doxing, harassment, and online security.
The resource group will work in close partnership with colleagues around Columbia and Barnard, including from the offices of University Life, Barnard Campus Life and Student Experience, Columbia University and Barnard Information Technology, the Columbia Department of Public Safety, Barnard CARES Community Safety, the Offices of General Counsel, the Offices of the Provost, Barnard Office of Inclusion and Engaged Learning, and student affairs leaders from across the university. The group will also coordinate with the recently announced SIPA Task Force on Doxing and Student Safety.
These offices have already been working closely and frequently to support students these past three weeks. Now, we are establishing a single point of contact instead of navigating multiple offices.
In addition, Columbia and Barnard have retained experts in the field of digital threat investigation and privacy scrubbing to support our impacted community members.
The special resource group on doxing will:
⢠Serve as one point of contact for all issues related to doxing, harassment, and online security.
⢠Communicate proactively with students to help navigate the resources available to them.
⢠Make referrals where necessary and ensure coordination of services.
⢠Hear concerns and receive suggestions for additional support.The special resources group will be in operation through November 30, at which point we will reassess our efforts to ensure that our work meets your needs. The staff coordinating the resource group will reach out to affected students soon. To reach out to the group leadership, please email redacted.
Sincerely,
Minouche Shafik
President, Columbia University in the City of New YorkLaura Ann Rosenbury
President, Barnard College
if they are internationals, even a suspension would cost them their student visa. An arrest coudl result in deportation. No way Harvard wants to accept that optic.
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âin the coming monthsâ weâll have committee report. Wow, that there is really going out on a limb to demonstrate leadership.
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Yes!?
I expect leaders to address immediate concerns as they happen (as they stated), and also investigate if systemic issues need to be addressed through (realistically) long-term, sustained actions?
âQuick patchesâ and knee-jerk reactions (while might look good) often donât actually permanently fix underlying problems, IF any.
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True, but is there any evidence these protestors were not Americans?
Of course, such behavior is despicable regardless of citizenship or religion, but Iâm just wondering.
Given the size of reported crowds, vs. (small) share of international students at a college (and from that, the even tinier subset that would engage at all, and then specifically on that topic) - I think the answer is self-evident.
(Going after the easy target, regardless how little of relevance, gives them headlines that make them look decisive.)
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As opposed to becoming a pariah among Jewish applicants and donors? I think very little of Claudine Gayâs leadership, but I donât think sheâs that stupid.
For better or for worse, most hate speech is protected speech. You are able to be racist or antisemitic in speech. However you are not allowed to make death threats, incite violence, or use âfighting wordsâ which is a lot of what is happening. You are also not allowed to give money to terrorist groups, which includes Hamas. The investigation that the ACLU is upset about is looking into these student groups providing âaidâ to Hamas.
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When it comes to the government and public colleges, yes. But not when it comes to private colleges; they can set their own policies.
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Absolutely
they donât want that either, which is why they are stuck between a rock and a hard place, which leads to indecision.
it can be protected speech by the government, but colleges still have their Conduct codes to enforce. Or not.
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Yes, I didnât know this but from FIRE.
âPrivate colleges and universities are contractually bound to respect the promises they make to students. Many institutions promise freedom of expression in university promotional materials and student conduct policies, but then deliver selective censorship once the first tuition check is cashed. They may not be bound by the First Amendment, but private institutions are still legally obligated to provide what they promise. Private institutions may not engage in fraud or breach of contract.â
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of course there is no evidence that any protestors were internationals bcos the campus has chosen not to ask. That said, Harvard and Columbia and NYU et al have quite a few international students, so common sense would suggest that at least some of the protestors were internationals on student visa.
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A couple of personal anecdotes. When we talked to our son yesterday he noted that the mood on Harvardâs campus had gotten better over the last couple of weeks, but protests had gotten worse over the last few days. He obviously didnât know about the Jewish student being surrounded yesterday, else he would have mentioned yet.
Given this escalation, I would support closing off Harvardâs campus to students and faculty only with IDs required to enter. That way if protests get out of hand, we know it is Harvard people involved.
Second, we ran into a parent of a Cornell student in a coffee shop. The family is not Jewish, but their son was very disturbed that one day Jewish students were being told not to come down to the dining hall, for their safety. I assume this was before Patrick Dai was identified and arrested.
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Of course!?
Why would they need to? For one, itâs in the studentsâ records - and, most importantly, youâd assess oneâs actions based on the actions, without discriminating based on passports.
Letâs leave the pitchforks in the barn.
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Cornell cancelled classes for tomorrow: Cornell University cancels classes after student Patrick Dai was accused of threatening Jewish students
Last night on CNN they interviewed a student who said some classes were allowing students to go back to remote classes if they didnât feel safe coming to class.
Devastating.