OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
5:00 PM – Sunday, April 21, 2024
Representative Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference, has called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to step down over the weekend, claiming that she failed to “protect Jewish students on campus.”
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On Sunday, Stefanik (R-N.Y.) made a statement requesting the immediate resignation of Columbia University President Shafik and the selection of a new trustee “who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.”
Stefanik made the statement following Shafik’s hearing on Capitol Hill last week, during which she was questioned about the Ivy League school’s response to anti-Semitism on campus.
The Republican’s remarks were also delivered on the same day that Columbia Rabbi Elie Buechler warned Jewish students on campus to leave because of “extreme anti-Semitism.”
Stefanik’s full statement regarding Columbia’s failed leadership reads:
“While Columbia’s failed leadership spent hundreds of hours preparing for this week’s Congressional hearing, it clearly was an attempt to cover up for their abject failure to enforce their own campus rules and protect Jewish students on campus. Over the past few months and especially the last 24 hours, Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus putting Jewish students’ safety at risk. It is crystal clear that Columbia University – previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton – needs new leadership. President Shafik must immediately resign. And the Columbia Board must appoint a President who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.”
In response to Columbia’s lack of enforcement of its new demonstration policies, students have reported multiple anti-Semitic events in the last week. Columbia’s Task Force on anti-Semitism referenced this very fact in its initial report, which was released in March.
Additionally, harsh criticisms are being made in the midst of violent anti-Israel demonstrations on campus that have resulted in over 100 arrests.
In a Sunday WhatsApp message, Rabbi Buechler stated, “The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy.”
“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved.”
In addition, Stefanik urged the board of Columbia University to “appoint a president who will enforce school policies and protect Jewish students.”
Shafik confirmed that it is against the school’s code of conduct to advocate for the genocide of Jewish people during her hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Before the education panel last year, the leaders of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania had all been asked the same question.
Stefanik provoked nationwide outrage in December when she questioned the presidents of those three universities about their attempts to address anti-Semitism on campus. Inquiries concerning anti-Semitism on college campuses around the nation have been made by the education committee.
“While Columbia’s failed leadership spent hundreds of hours preparing for this week’s Congressional hearing, it clearly was an attempt to cover up for their abject failure to enforce their own campus rules and protect Jewish students on campus,” Stefanik said.
Shafik was also extensively questioned about the possibility of firing professors and staff members who had supported anti-Semitism.
During the hearing, Shafik stated, “Any Columbia faculty member who behaves in an anti-Semitic or discriminatory way should find somewhere else to go.”
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