Columbia University’s president rebuts claims she has allowed school to become a hotbed of hatred

Nemat Shafik , the president of Columbia University , testifies during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 17.Four months after a contentious congressional hearing led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents, Columbia University ’s president appeared before the same committee on Wednesday and unequivocally denounced antisemitism on her campus, rebutting claims that she has allowed Columbia to become a hotbed of hatred.

With the advantage of hindsight, Shafik acknowledged there has been a rise in antisemitism on Columbia’s campus but said it’s far from pervasive, describing instead a campus split mostly over political differences. The “vast majority” of demonstrations have been peaceful, she said, and officials have worked to unite students.

“We’ve seen far too little, far too late done to counter that and protect students and staff,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chair of the committee. “Columbia stands guilty of gross negligence at best and, at worst, has become a platform for those supporting terrorism and violence against Jewish people.”

Foxx and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., appeared with Jewish students from Columbia who said they have faced threats and physical confrontation. They described a student who had Star of David necklaces torn off while walking to class and taunts from students who say “the Holocaust wasn’t that special.

Almost immediately, the careful responses from the university presidents drew criticism from donors, alumni and politicians. Magill resigned shortly after the hearing. Gay stepped down in January, following an extended campaign that accused her of plagiarism.

Campus Columbia Antisemitism Student President Shafik University Committee Elise Stefanik Virginia Foxx New York Civil Liberties Union

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