Columbia U. removes three deans from posts over texts containing 'antisemitic tropes'

Columbia University removed three deans from their posts over texts they sent that "disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes" during a May forum about Jewish issues, the New York Times reported, citing a Monday letter school officials sent to the university community.

The Times said Columbia is still employing the deans, but the school placed them on indefinite leave, and the trio won't return to their previous jobs.

Kromm texted her colleagues two vomit emojis, the paper said.

Columbia President Nemat Shafik called the texts “unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community," the paper said.

The Times said the announcement came about a month after the Washington Free Beacon published photos showing some of the text messages the deans sent.

The three Columbia administrators in question are Cristen Kromm, formerly dean of undergraduate student life; Matthew Patashnick, formerly associate dean for student and family support; and Susan Chang-Kim, formerly vice dean and chief administrative officer, the paper said, adding that they didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Times said Josef Sorett, dean of Columbia College, also took part in the text exchange, but university provost Angela V. Olinto said Sorett will remain in his position. “Dean Sorett and I will work together to mend relationships, repair trust, and rebuild accountability,” Olinto wrote, according to the paper.

Some Columbia alumni have called the incident "Textgate," the Times said.

More from the paper:

On May 31, in the aftermath of student protests and congressional hearings called to address antisemitism on college campuses, Columbia hosted during its reunion weekend a panel discussion called “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future.” The panel’s speakers included Brian Cohen, the executive director of Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the Jewish students organization; and David Schizer, the former dean of the law school and a chair of the university’s antisemitism task force.

The three administrators and Dr. Sorett were in the audience, and a person sitting behind Ms. Chang-Kim photographed the text messages she was exchanging with her colleagues. The images were shared with The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, which published an article.

The Times said Patashnick texted that one panelist was “taking full advantage of this moment," which presented "huge fundraising potential."

The paper added that Kromm's texts referred to “Sounding the Alarm,” an Oct. 24 essay that campus rabbi Yonah Hain penned for the Columbia student newspaper. Hain wrote that campus groups saying they “stand in full solidarity with Palestinian resistance” following the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel represented the “community’s normalization of Hamas,” the Times reported, adding that Hain called it “a point-of-no-return moment at Columbia.”

Kromm texted her colleagues two vomit emojis, the paper said.

During the panel, Chang-Kim exchanged texts with Sorett, who replied “LMAO” — i.e., "laughing my ass off” — to Chang-Kim following what the Times called her "snarky remark" about Cohen.

The paper said the three administrators were put on leave in late June pending a university investigation.

The Times said in the wake of the removal of the three deans, Sorett wrote a letter to the Columbia community, saying he recognizes “that some of the texts suggest a seeming dismissiveness with regards to the impact that the global rise of antisemitism has had on Columbia’s campus" and that he's “dedicated to leading the College community to higher standards of professionalism, and to rebuilding trust.”

The paper noted that Sorett staying in his position likely will anger some alumni and community members, as more than 1,000 of them — including hedge fund investor Dan Loeb — signed a petition demanding his removal as dean.

The Times also reported that many alumni were angry over Sorett's weak apology in June, noting that when the texts came to light, he sent an email saying he has "already spoken to each person involved and we understand that, as leaders, we are held to a higher standard.” However, Sorett also called the photos of the text messages “an invasion of privacy," the paper added. About a week later, Sorett sent a second email saying that “I deeply regret my role in these text exchanges," the Times added.

What's more, Columbia also announced Monday that university students, faculty, and staff this fall will undergo required anti-discrimination training — and it will include a focus on anti-Semitism, the paper said.

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