Current:Home > Markets3 Columbia University administrators put on leave over alleged text exchange at antisemitism panel -Capitatum
3 Columbia University administrators put on leave over alleged text exchange at antisemitism panel
SafeX Pro View
Date:2025-04-06 09:18:39
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University said it has placed three administrators on leave while it investigates allegations that they exchanged unprofessional text messages while attending a panel discussion about antisemitism on campus.
The university said the administrators work for its undergraduate Columbia College, which hosted the panel discussion “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future” during an alumni reunion on May 31.
The university said the college’s dean, Josef Sorett, informed his team on Thursday that the three administrators were being put on leave.
“Columbia College is attending to this situation with the utmost seriousness,” a college spokesperson said. “We are committed to confronting antisemitism, discrimination and hate, and taking concrete action to ensure that our is a community of respect and healthy dialogue where everyone feels valued and safe.”
Columbia did not identify the administrators by name and declined to discuss the matter further while the investigation is pending.
The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet, published images on June 12 and 21 of what it said were the administrators’ text messages. One included a suggestion that a panelist could have used the campus protests for fundraising and another that appeared critical of a campus rabbi’s essay about antisemitism.
The panel about antisemitism was held a month after university leaders called in police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters out of an occupied administration building and dismantle a tent encampment that had threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies.
The police action came amid deep divisions on campus as to whether some of the protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza have been antisemitic.
Some text messages allegedly sent by Scorett were among those published by the news outlet, but he was not among those put on leave. He will continue to serve as dean and is cooperating with the investigation, the university said.
“I deeply regret my role in these text exchanges and the impact they have had on our community,” Sorett said in a message Friday to the Columbia College Board of Visitors.
Sorett said he is “committed to learning from this situation and to the work of confronting antisemitism, discrimination and hate at Columbia.”
veryGood! (62)
Related
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- TikTok Star Avani Gregg Dishes on if Those Good American Jeans Really Stretch 4 Sizes
- A retro computer museum in Mariupol beloved by children was attacked by Russia
- Tech's crackdown on Russian propaganda is a geopolitical high-wire act
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Jock Zonfrillo, MasterChef Australia host, found dead at age 46
- A digital conflict between Russia and Ukraine rages on behind the scenes of war
- American killed, Ukraine couple narrowly escape strike as U.S. says 20,000 Russians killed
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Sudan ceasefire eases fighting as army denies rumors about deposed dictator Omar al-Bashir's whereabouts
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Deepfake video of Zelenskyy could be 'tip of the iceberg' in info war, experts warn
- Where Have These Photos of Pregnant Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Been All Our Lives
- The $16 Korean Pore Mask I've Sworn By Since High School
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- A new app guides visitors through NYC's Chinatown with hidden stories
- Russia blocks access to Facebook
- The 10 Best Body Acne Treatments for Under $30, According to Reviewers
Recommendation
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Facebook shrugs off fears it's losing users
King Charles III's coronation: The schedule and how to watch the ceremony as Britain's monarch is crowned
Second American dies in Sudan amid fighting, U.S. confirms
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Review: Impressive style and story outweigh flawed gameplay in 'Ghostwire: Tokyo'
Oregon is dropping an artificial intelligence tool used in child welfare system
Coast Guard suspends search for Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger who went overboard