Columbia President Cracks Down on Student Advocacy for Palestine

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Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Pomona College all seriously disciplined students protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza this month. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT Minouche Shafik heads to Washington, D.C., this week, to testify in front of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce — the same committee whose previous hearings on antisemitism helped force the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania to resign. While the Wednesday hearing is titled “Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism,” Shafik’s testimony may illustrate how her administration has cracked down on pro-Palestine speech. Since October 7, the university has suspended student groups that advocate for Palestine, created an amorphous “task force on anti-semitism” that students and faculty worry will serve to punish criticism of Israel, dragged its feet on an investigation into reports that students were sprayed with a chemical during an on-campus rally for Gaza, and mo

Minouche Shafik, incoming president of Columbia University, receives an honorary degree at Columbia in NYC, on May 17, 2023. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images Columbia University President Minouche Shafik heads to Washington, D.C., this week, to testify in front of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce — the same committee whose previous hearings on antisemitism helped force the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania to resign. While the Wednesday hearing is titled “Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism,” Shafik’s

Columbia President Cracks Down on Student Advocacy for Palestine

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