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In an effort to bolster Shafik, 23 Jewish faculty members wrote an open letter published in the campus newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, criticising the premise of the hearing. It also intensified the pressure on Harvard’s then president, Claudine Gay, whose responses to Stefanik were similarly criticised. Gay survived the immediate outcry over the hearing but stepped down weeks later over plagiarism allegations. She eventually appeared to fold under pressure, answering “yes” and laughing nervously after McClain posed the same question to the president’s fellow Columbia staff, all of whom agreed that it was antisemitic.
c. Columbia University Task Force on Antisemitism
The Task Force will be releasing additional reports, which the Board is eagerly awaiting. We will continue incorporating its findings into our ongoing efforts to make Columbia a welcoming environment for all. In October, we also quickly formed a Task Force on Antisemitism with the purpose of addressing the root causes behind the antisemitic incidents at our University by independently identifying problems and offering solutions. Thus far, the Task Force has done important work, and we are already working to implement many of its recommendations.
21.22 In the 117th Congress, Committee Democrats Conducted Robust Oversight on Behalf of Students, Workers, Families
House Committee on Education and the Workforce chair releases statement in support of student arrests - CU Columbia Spectator
House Committee on Education and the Workforce chair releases statement in support of student arrests.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In addition to these formal listening forums, many Trustees, President Shafik, and senior administrators have attended vigils and Jewish student gatherings on and off campus. For example, my Trustee Co-Chair and I have met weekly with the Director of Hillel. The Board does not publish press releases and does not have a social media presence. We have not released a statement about antisemitism, because we think it is important for all public statements to come from the administration, led by the President, so Columbia speaks with one unified voice. The Columbia Board of Trustees advises the President and other senior University officials.
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
Throughout the first session of the 117th Congress, the Committee took key steps to improve the lives of students, families, and workers. The Committee secured urgent COVID-19 relief through the American Rescue Plan and led House passage of 13 key legislative priorities, including a historic investment in the future of our communities through the Build Back Better Act. This year, the Committee also exercised its oversight authority to protect workers from COVID-19, strengthen American’s civil rights, and protect students and taxpayers from predatory colleges.
We recognize that a problem as deeply entrenched and critical as antisemitism must be addressed with consistent communication between University leadership and our broader community. It was therefore important to open a channel of communication directly from students to the President of the University to make sure a diverse array of feedback was incorporated. In this spirit, in the months after the October 7 attack, President Shafik began hosting biweekly listening forums where students can share their feedback directly. So far, more than 90 students have participated, and these listening forums will be a permanent part of President Shafik’s schedule moving forward. Finally, the DxD program provides funding to support faculty and students who want to create their own partnerships and programming to support positive conversations across differences.
Safety is paramount and the University will take the necessary steps, no matter how unpopular, to secure Columbia’s campus and apply rules around protest, harassment, and discrimination consistently and fairly to everyone. After October 7, Columbia took action to ensure the physical safety of our community, and to make clear that Columbia condemns and prohibits antisemitism in any form. On October 12, we brought law enforcement onto our Morningside Heights campus to ensure the safety of our community at a protest for the first time in more than 50 years.
But the demonstrations and confrontations between student groups after October 7 were unprecedented, and our policies for demonstrations were not designed for the volume of protests that occurred. Thus, immediate action was needed to ensure the physical safety of our students. In addition to focusing on the physical safety of students and faculty on campus, we took concrete actions to confront antisemitism and support the Jewish members of our community. To help connect with Jewish students and better understand the needed resources, Columbia’s trustees met with students or attended campus events, including at Hillel. I met with Israeli Defense Forces veterans, for example, in our General Studies program, incredible young women from Israel who were struggling to comprehend the attacks at home. These students shared their fear of being targets walking across campus.
House education committee passes bill mandating free speech for federal higher education funding - The Daily Pennsylvanian
House education committee passes bill mandating free speech for federal higher education funding.
Posted: Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In response to hearing devastating information like that, we worked to add resources to hotline and escort services to ensure students who felt threatened could get the protection they needed. We modified our events policies, which clarified the rules for campus demonstrations. The University designated demonstration areas that are available for student protests during set hours.
Addresses pay inequity by holding companies accountable for gender-based wage disparities, strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and protecting the rights of workers to challenge systemic pay discrimination. Creates nearly one million new Registered Apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship positions to help workers access in-demand jobs across a wide range of industries. Improves access to injury and illness benefits for federal firefighters. From inside the committee you can access detailed information about the members and jurisdiction of the Full Committee on Education and Labor and its subcommittees. You can also explore the committee’s history, from its establishment in 1867 through its work today. (While you’re visiting, don’t forget to meet the members) Finally, you can find an electronic archive of prior Education and Labor Committee websites.
We have taken significant steps already, and we are committed to taking more action to address this ancient scourge. The Board of Trustees helps oversee the strategic direction of Columbia and advises the President and other senior University officials. While we do not participate in day-to-day operations of the University, we are an active Board, one that is highly involved with advising on matters across the University.
Ever since, the Board of Trustees has played an active role in Columbia’s response to antisemitism. We have been in constant contact with the University’s leadership, including President Shafik. Throughout this time, we have prioritized the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. Columbia has long sought to be a welcoming, thriving community for a diverse community of students and faculty. We also have an active Chabad chapter on campus and a strong partnership with the Jewish Theological Seminary where we share joint academic programs. Regrettably, the events of October 7 brought to the forefront an undercurrent of antisemitism that is a major challenge for universities across the country.
When the Board of Trustees set out to find the twentieth President for Columbia University, we completed an exhaustive and time intensive search. After considering an enormous number of candidates, President Shafik was the clear choice. She is an esteemed economist who has solved problems at high levels in the real world. She is not afraid to make hard decisions, and she does so with incredible wisdom and empathy. Despite the struggles Columbia has faced in recent months, the Board of Trustees fully support President Shafik.
To strike this balance, the rules should allow protests only in designated locations on campus, not in academic buildings. We are very pleased that President Shafik and her leadership team have already implemented this idea—indeed, they did it three weeks before our report was issued. I believe education is the ultimate solution to eradicating antisemitism and all forms of hate.
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