3 Columbia University administrators put on leave over alleged text exchange at antisemitism panel
https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-administrators-antisemitism-text-6b440557180503c32571bd2e50038b82
3 Columbia University administrators put on leave over alleged text exchange at antisemitism panel
Updated 6:54 PM EDT, June 23, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) 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.
The university said the administrators work for its undergraduate Columbia College, which hosted the panel discussion Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future during an alumni reunion on May 31.
The university said the colleges dean, Josef Sorett, informed his team on Thursday that the three administrators were being put on leave.
Columbia College is attending to this situation with the utmost seriousness, a college spokesperson said. We are committed to confronting antisemitism, discrimination and hate, and taking concrete action to ensure that our is a community of respect and healthy dialogue where everyone feels valued and safe.
Columbia did not identify the administrators by name and declined to discuss the matter further while the investigation is pending.
The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet, published images on June 12 and 21 of what it said were the administrators text messages. One included a suggestion that a panelist could have used the campus protests for fundraising and another that appeared critical of a campus rabbis essay about antisemitism.
[...]