Columbia University deans resign after exchanging disparaging texts during meeting on antisemitism

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This article was published 08/08/2024 (716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — Three deans at Columbia University have resigned after exchanging disparaging texts during a campus discussion about Jewish life and antisemitism, the school confirmed Thursday.

The resignations come a month after Columbia said it had removed the administrators from their positions and would keep them on leave indefinitely. University President Minouche Shafik said in a July 8 letter to the school community that the messages were unprofessional and “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.”

“Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting,” Shafik wrote.

The deans were first put on leave after a conservative news outlet published images of what it said were texts they exchanged while attending a May 31 panel discussion titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future.”

They have not been identified by Columbia, but their names have circulated widely in media reports.

The panel was held at an annual alumni event a month after university leaders called in police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from an occupied administration building and dismantle a tent encampment that had threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies.

The Washington Free Beacon obtained some of the private messages through someone who attended the event and took photos of one of the deans’ phones.

Some included snarky comments about people in the university community. One suggested that a panelist speaking about antisemitism planned to use it as a fundraising opportunity. Another disparaged a campus rabbi’s essay about antisemitism.

The administrators have not commented publicly since their exchange became public in June. Two of them — Cristen Kromm, the former dean of undergraduate student life, and Matthew Patashnick, the former associate dean for student and family support — did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment. The third, Susan Chang-Kim, could not immediately be reached.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has since published some of the messages.

Shafik has promised to launch a “vigorous program of antisemitism and antidiscrimination training for faculty and staff” in the fall, as well as related training for students.