Top Left: President of Columbia University Nemat Shafik testifies
before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on
“Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism” on
Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose
Luis Magana) Background: Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise
Stefanik, R-N.Y., question Columbia President Nemat Shafik during the
House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on “Columbia in
Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism” on Capitol Hill
in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Representative Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference, has called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to step down over the weekend, claiming that she failed to “protect Jewish students on campus.” On Sunday, Stefanik (R-N.Y.) made a statement requesting the immediate resignation of Columbia University President Shafik and the selection of a new trustee “who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.” Stefanik made the statement following Shafik’s hearing on Capitol Hill last week, during which she was questioned about the Ivy League school’s response to anti-Semitism on campus. The Republican’s remarks were also delivered on the same day that Columbia Rabbi Elie Buechler warned Jewish students on campus to leave because of “extreme anti-Semitism.” Stefanik’s full statement regarding Columbia’s failed leadership reads:
In response to Columbia’s lack of enforcement of its new demonstration policies, students have reported multiple anti-Semitic events in the last week. Columbia’s Task Force on anti-Semitism referenced this very fact in its initial report, which was released in March. Additionally, harsh criticisms are being made in the midst of violent anti-Israel demonstrations on campus that have resulted in over 100 arrests.
In addition, Stefanik urged the board of Columbia University to “appoint a president who will enforce school policies and protect Jewish students.” Shafik confirmed that it is against the school’s code of conduct to advocate for the genocide of Jewish people during her hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee. Before the education panel last year, the leaders of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania had all been asked the same question. Stefanik provoked nationwide outrage in December when she questioned the presidents of those three universities about their attempts to address anti-Semitism on campus. Inquiries concerning anti-Semitism on college campuses around the nation have been made by the education committee.
Shafik was also extensively questioned about the possibility of firing professors and staff members who had supported anti-Semitism.
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