Columbia University’s president denounced anti-Semitism while defending his response to war protests in Gaza at a Congressional hearing.
When asked if calls for the genocide of Jews were against university policy, Dr. Nemat Shafik said that absolutely it was.
It seemed like she made it through the grill unscathed.
In similar hearings last year, two other Ivy League university presidents were criticized for their responses to anti-Semitism on their campuses. Both later resigned.
“Columbia is committed to being a community free of all forms of discrimination and hatred, and we condemn the anti-Semitism prevalent today,” Dr. Shafiq told the Republican-led House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday. .
“I have spent most of my time as president working on this issue,” she continued, testifying alongside three other City University of New York employees.
“My view is that you are right that there is a moral crisis on campus,” Claire Shipman, co-chair of the board of trustees, said during the hearing.
“You’re probably tired of hearing that I find the behavior of some students and some faculty members unacceptable.”
Before officials showed up, hundreds of pro-Palestinian Columbia University students set up tents on the campus lawn, according to student newspapers, the Columbia Spectator and Fox News. They reportedly promised to occupy the space until they retreated.
Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the Israel-Gaza war, Republicans in Congress have accused elite American universities such as Columbia University of serving as safe havens for anti-Semitic hatred.
Dr. Shafiq said such hatred has increased on campus since October, but said the university is working to protect students.
She told the hearing that 15 students had been suspended and six were on probation for violating campus protest rules.
Last year, leaders of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology came under fire from politicians and alumni for appearing in the same House committee hearings.
The presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have resigned after facing backlash for refusing to give a clear answer on whether “calls for the genocide of Jews” violates university policy.
On Wednesday, all four Columbia state officials answered “yes” to the same question.
