Columbia University leaders vow 'consequences' for campus anti-Semitism during House hearing

April 17 (UPI) -- Leaders at Columbia University testified in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday before a House hearing on campus anti-Semitism, vowing "violations will have consequences" after a hearing last year led to the resignations of two college presidents.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik, who missed December's hearing because of a scheduling conflict, appeared alongside the board of trustees co-chairs Claire Shipman and David Greenwald as well as Columbia's law school dean emeritus Davis Schizer, who leads the school's anti-Semitism task force, before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

All four Columbia leaders unequivocally stated that calls for the genocide of Jews violates the university's code of conduct. The response was in stark contrast to the evasive answers that university presidents from Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania gave in December.

While Shafik acknowledged that Columbia was unprepared to manage the explosion of anti-Semitism following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, she said she would "share what we have learned as we battle this ancient hatred at Columbia University."

"I promise you, from the messages I'm hearing from students, they are getting the message that violations of our policies will have consequences," Shafik told lawmakers, adding that five professors were in disciplinary proceedings and 15 students had been suspended for hostile remarks.

"I would be happy to make a statement that anyone, any faculty member, at Columbia who behaves in an anti-Semitic way or in any way a discriminatory way should find somewhere else to go," Shafik testified, adding that one professor -- who expressed support for Hamas -- has been fired.

"He has been terminated," Shafik said, adding that he will "never teach at Columbia again and that will be on his permanent record."

As Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., pressed Shafik about holding students and faculty accountable, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., questioned the right to free speech at pro-Palestinian events.

Claire Shipman, co-chair of Columbia University's board of trustees, said she is "not satisfied with where Columbia is at this moment," adding that the university shut its gates during demonstrations and pulled New York City Police onto campus for the first time since 1968.

"We are far from done," she said. "I am outraged by the vile sentiments I continue to hear by those who ignore our rules."

Columbia is one of several universities facing an investigation by the House committee over anti-Semitism on campus alongside Harvard, Penn, MIT, Rutgers and the University of California at Berkeley.

The university in New York City is also subject to a broad investigation by the U.S. Department of Education looking into discrimination on college campuses.

Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said she called the hearing focusing on Columbia because it was host to "some of the worst cases of anti-Semitic assaults, harassment and vandalism on campus."

December's hearing sparked fury among some over answers from the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Pennsylvania as they tried to navigate issues of harassment and free speech.

It was Stefanik's refusal to accept vague answers from the presidents on what constitutes violations of their policies that made embarrassing headlines for the school leaders.

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned shortly after December's hearing.

Harvard's President Claudine Gay, who was facing unrelated plagiarism charges, resigned soon afterward after her remarks were also strongly criticized.