Three associate deans at Columbia University have been placed on administrative leave following the exposure of a series of disparaging text messages exchanged during a panel discussion on antisemitism at a recent alumni event. The incident has raised concerns about the attitudes of university leadership towards issues affecting Jewish students on campus.
The text exchange, which occurred on May 31, involved Josef Sorett, Susan Chang-Kim, Matthew Patashnick, and Cristen Kromm, all of whom hold administrative positions at the Ivy League institution. Their messages were captured by an alumnus in attendance at the two-hour panel, which addressed the impact of rising antisemitism on Jewish students and faculty in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In an email to Columbia's Board of Visitors, Sorett apologized for the "harm" caused by the messages, insisting they do not "indicate the views of any individual or the team." He also expressed concern about the "invasion of privacy" resulting from the public disclosure of the group chat contents.
The panel featured speakers such as former Columbia Law School dean David Schizer, who co-chairs the university's antisemitism task force, as well as Brian Cohen, executive director of Columbia's Kraft Center for Jewish Life, and Ian Rottenberg, the university's dean of religious life. Student Rebecca Massel, who had covered anti-Israel campus protests for the student newspaper, also participated.
The good news is Columbia heard us and took some action due to our letters from last Tuesday. (What does administrative leave mean anyway?)
The *FOUR* deans should have been immediately *FIRED*. *Let's let Columbia know we mean business with this follow up letter.*… pic.twitter.com/D8PG2SozBY
— Matthew Feinberg (@thewebbie) June 23, 2024
As panelists shared their assessments of the challenging climate faced by Jewish students since October 7, the Columbia leaders exchanged messages that were described as mocking and dismissive. In one instance, Kromm, the dean of undergraduate student life, used queasy and vomiting emojis in reference to an October 2023 op-ed titled "Sounding the alarm," written by campus rabbi Yonah Hain.
Patashnick, Columbia's associate dean for student and family support, suggested that an unnamed panel member was exploiting the situation, writing, "He knows exactly what he's doing and how to take full advantage of this moment. Huge fundraising potential." Chang-Kim, vice dean and chief administrative officer of Columbia University responded with "Double urgh."
A Columbia University spokesperson stated, "We are committed to combatting antisemitism and taking sustained, concrete action to ensure Columbia is a campus where Jewish students and everyone in our community feels safe, valued, and able to thrive."
