NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Three Columbia College deans who had previously engaged in a controversial text exchange that the administration said “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes” while attending a forum about Jewish issues in May have resigned, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Columbia representatives did not immediately respond to 1010 WINS/WCBS 880's request for comment.
Former Columbia College deans Susan Chang-Kim, Matthew Patashnick and Cristen Kromm previously worked as administrators in undergraduate student affairs, but their staff pages have been removed from the directory website.
The text conversation, held during a panel discussion dubbed “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present, and Future” that discussed antisemitism, included a series of sarcastic and critical messages.
The messages became public in early June when an attendee at the forum shared photos of one of the deans’ phones displaying the texts with The Washington Free Beacon, prompting President Nemat (Minouche) Shafik and Provost Angela V. Olinto to release statements to the campus community announcing that the three deans would be on indefinite leave amid an investigation.
“These sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community that is antithetical to our University’s values and the standards we must uphold in our community,” Shafik wrote.
Olinto said that her office will be implementing new antidiscrimination training in the fall that includes antisemitism training for faculty.
The leaders also referenced Dean Josef Sorett in their statements, who was in the groupchat with the three other deans, but kept his job after writing a public apology outlining how he intended to rebuild trust with the community.
“I am deeply sorry that this happened in a community that I lead and, that I was part of any of the exchanges, and I pledge to spearhead the change we need to ensure this never happens again,” Sorett, a tenured professor, wrote. He noted that some of the texts “may call to mind antisemitic tropes,” even if not intended.
For example, one of the messages refers to a speaker using the platform as “Huge fundraising potential,” while others used text colloquialisms like “Lmao” and vomiting emojis.
The texts were provided in transcript by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has been investigating antisemitism at U.S. colleges.
This incident comes as Columbia continues to defend itself as an inclusive community to students who claim to have faced antisemitism and defend its handling of antisemitism to Congress.
Tension at the Ivy League reached a peak earlier this year as pro-Palestinian protesters formed a lasting encampment on the main lawn in Morningside Heights and eventually stormed a campus building amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which broke out after the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Shafik announced in July a new mediation process for student protesters to engage with administrators, and that there will be new rules of university conduct, as more protests are expected in the upcoming fall semester.