Columbia Removes Three Deans From Roles Over Texts With Antisemitic Tropes

 

Three deans were removed from their positions at Columbia, while a fourth is staying on as dean of Columbia College and promising to help the community recover from the incident

KEY FACTS

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said in a letter to the community the messages sent by the now-former deans were “unprofessional,” “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes” and conveyed “a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community.”

The three administrators on the text chain are still employed but are on indefinite leave and have been permanently removed from their positions as deans at Columbia College, the University announced Monday.

The texts were from three former deans—dean of undergraduate student life Cristen Kromm, associate dean for student and family support Matthew Patashnick and vice dean and chief administrative officer Susan Chang-Kim—during a panel on Jewish life on campus during the university’s Reunion Weekend in May.

One text from Chang-Kim seemingly said the panel was “difficult to listen to but I’m trying to keep an open mind to learn about this point of view,” while Kromm at one point sent two vomit emojis in reference to an October 2023 opinion piece by Columbia’s campus rabbi, and Patashnick implied one of the panelists was trying to capitalize on “huge fundraising potential.”

SURPRISING FACT

The dean of Columbia College, Josef Sorett, also engaged in the texts, but is remaining in his post, according to the university. Provost Angela Olinto said in a statement to the community that Sorett and she will “work together to mend relationships, repair trust, and rebuild accountability,” adding he will work to sustain a culture among leadership “that prizes dialogue, learning, empathy, respect, and inclusion.” In a separate statement, Sorett said he recognized “some of the texts suggest a seeming dismissiveness with regards to the impact that the global rise of antisemitism has had on Columbia’s campus,” and said he is resolute in working to rebuild the trust that was lost.

KEY BACKGROUND

The messages were first reported last month by conservative news site The Washington Free Beacon and led to the administrators being put on leave pending a university investigation. The event at which the texts were sent was billed as a discussion of the climate at the school following Hamas’ attack on Israel last October and how the university is responsible for ensuring the safety of all students, according to The New York Times. Like a number of other Ivy League schools, Columbia faced protests from students over its refusal to divest from Israel and faced backlash over its treatment of Jewish students during the protests that disrupted campuses. In May, Columbia canceled its school-wide graduation ceremony following weeks of protests—in which more than 100 people were arrested—and canceled in-person classes prior to that because of the encampments that had been set up. During the protests, a rabbi reportedly encouraged Jewish students to leave the campus out of safety concerns and reports of antisemitic rhetoric. The protests across the country led not only to national headlines, criticism and university presidents testifying before Congress about their schools’ responses to antisemitism, but also to billionaires threatening to pull funding. Specifically at Columbia, billionaire Leon Cooperman said he wouldn’t donate to the school anymore because the students “have sh** for brains,” and another billionaire resigned from the university’s business school board.