3 Columbia deans removed over texts officials say antisemitic
- The three administrators were first put on leave in late June
- Columbia: Texts 'disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes'
- Texts were exchanged during an antisemitism panel following campus protests
FILE – People listen to a speaker at a pro-Palestinian encampment calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside the campus of Columbia University, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. Columbia University said it has placed three administrators on leave while it investigates allegations that they exchanged unprofessional text messages while attending a panel discussion about antisemitism on campus. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)
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(NewsNation) — Three Columbia University deans have been permanently removed from their posts for sending texts that university officials say “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes” during a forum about Jewish issues in May, according to a letter sent by Columbia officials to the university Monday.
The administrators are still employed at the university but have been put on indefinite leave and will not return to their previous positions.
They were first put on leave while the situation was investigated in late June, soon after a conservative website published photos showing some of the administrator’s messages.
Columbia President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik described the texts as “unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community,” adding that the messages were “antithetical to our university’s values and the standards.”
Some of the messages in the text chain include one administrator saying, “He is such a problem!!!…Painting our students as dangerous,” referring to the proceedings as “smoke and mirrors.” Another administrator texted, “Amazing what $$$$ can do.”
The texts in question were exchanged during a panel discussion entitled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future,” which took place at an alumni reunion May 31. It was held a month after university leaders called in police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters out of an occupied building and dismantle a tent encampment that threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies.
The three Columbia administrators involved in the text message exchanges are Cristen Kromm, formerly the dean of undergraduate student life; Matthew Patashnick, formerly the associate dean for student and family support; and Susan Chang-Kim, formerly the vice dean and chief administrative officer, according to the New York Times.
Josef Sorett, the dean of Columbia College, also engaged with the administrators in the text exchange. According to the university provost Angela V. Olinto, Sorett will remain in his post as they “work together to mend relationships, repair trust and rebuild accountability.”
