Dr. Shoshana Shendelman, a trustee of Columbia University, wrote a demand letter to the members of the university’s board on Monday, insisting that the institution comply with the Trump administration’s demands.
As Breitbart News reported, Columbia had agreed to make changes to its governance and curriculum, after the Trump administration began cutting funding to the university over antisemitism on campus.
However, Columbia was perceived to be reneging on the deal, and acting president Claire Shipman was found to have called for the ouster of Shendelman, who is Jewish, and her replacement by an Arab member.
Shendelman’s letter reads, in part:
The conduct which has been exhibited by Columbia leadership in recent months—particularly the failure to decisively address antisemitism on campus—demonstrates a disturbing lack of moral clarity and poses a
significant threat to the safety and well-being of Jewish students, faculty, and the broader community of Columbia University.It is evident that the ongoing failures have resulted in substantial legal and financial ramifications, and our university’s reputation has been tarnished for the foreseeable future. Unequivocally, this is the direct consequence of Columbia’s failure to adhere with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
…
Columbia must fully accept the Trump administration’s demands regarding antisemitism and Title VI compliance. It is the right thing to do for our students, and it is undeniable that the current situation at Columbia is untenable. Thus, our Board must work promptly and unconditionally with the United States Federal government.
The Washington Free Beacon reported Friday that Columbia was near a new deal with the administration.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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