Three Columbia University deans resigned from the school after text messages that authorities said contained anti-Semitic tropes were revealed.
A school spokesperson confirmed the resignations of Cristen Kromm, former dean of undergraduate student life; Matthew Patashnick, former associate dean of student and family support; and Susan Chang-Kim, former vice provost and chief administrative officer.
The messages occurred in a group chat during an event at the university called “Jewish Campus Life: Past, Present and Future” and were discovered by The Washington Free Beacon.
Last month, President Minouche Shafik said the messages “revealed behaviors and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also disturbingly touched on long-standing anti-Semitic tropes” before removing the three from their campus positions.
“Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply disturbing, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and experiences of members of our Jewish community, which is antithetical to the values of our University and the standards we we must advocate in our community,” Shafik added.
Josef Sorett, president of Columbia College, also participated in the messages, but was not removed from his position at the university.
In one of the messages, Patashnick said a speaker at the event was “making the most of this moment,” saying there was “huge potential” for them.
Other messages appeared to mock concerns about anti-Semitism on campus.
The incident occurred after months of protests on Columbia’s campus over the Israel-Hamas war, with some individuals occupying a campus building.
The New York Times activists reported recently broke into the building of Cas Holloway, the school’s director of operations, throwing red paint on the floor and releasing insects into the lobby.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
