From the Liveblog of
Friday, February 14, 2025
US House panel demands Columbia University turn over disciplinary records for anti-Israel protesters
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
The US House Committee on Education and the Workforce denounces Columbia for its handling of anti-Israel protesters and demands the university turn over disciplinary records for the activists.
The 6-page letter addressed to the university leadership says that the university promised students, faculty and Congress that it would address campus antisemitism, but has failed to do so.
“Columbia’s continued failure to address the pervasive antisemitism that persists on campus is untenable, particularly given that the university receives billions in federal funding,” the letter says.
The letter cites campus disturbances last year, such as protesters’’ takeover of a campus building in the spring, and incidents this semester including the disruption of an Israeli professor’s class.
The committee accuses Columbia of failing to properly discipline those responsible, creating a “hostile environment for members of Columbia’s Jewish communities.”
The letter demands Columbia turn over disciplinary records by the end of this month for 11 different protest incidents that took place between April and January.
The House committee has grilled the heads of Columbia and other top universities over anti-Israel activism for more than a year. The Trump administration has put further pressure on universities since taking office.
Columbia has repeatedly condemned protest activities that violate campus rules in recent weeks, and disciplined some students, including for the disruption of the Israeli professor’s class.
