The messages allegedly included a suggestion that a panelist could have exploited campus protests for financial gain and a critique of an essay about antisemitism written by a campus rabbi.
Columbia University has placed three administrators on temporary suspension while investigating allegations that they exchanged inappropriate text messages during a panel discussion aimed at combating antisemitism on campus.
The exchange is viewed to have undermined the event's intended goal of promoting tolerance and understanding.
The school confirmed that the three administrators under investigation are in the employ of Columbia College, the university's undergraduate division, which organised the panel event 'Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future' as part of an alumni reunion on May 31, focusing on the experiences and perspectives of Jewish students and community member.
According to the Associated Press, Dean Josef Sorett informed his team on Thursday that Columbia University is placing three administrators on leave pending an investigation into allegations of inappropriate text messages exchanged during a panel discussion about antisemitism on campus.
The three administrators have been identified as Susan Chang-Kim, Cristen Kromm, and Matthew Patashnick.
“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.
On June 12 and 21, The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet, released images purporting to show text messages exchanged by the administrators.
The messages allegedly included a suggestion that a panelist could have exploited campus protests for financial gain and a critique of an essay about antisemitism written by a campus rabbi.
The panel discussion on antisemitism took place a month after university officials called in police to remove pro-Palestinian protesters from an occupied administration building and dismantle a tent encampment that had threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies, highlighting the tensions and divisions within the campus community.
The police intervention occurred amidst intense campus debates over whether certain protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza had crossed the line into antisemitism.
While Dean Josef Sorett's alleged text messages were also published by the news outlet, he was not placed on leave and will continue to serve as dean, cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation, according to the university's statement.
“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.”