Three Columbia University deans who sent derogatory text messages described by the school president as touching on “ancient antisemitic tropes” have resigned from their positions.
The texts, exchanged during an event titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present, and Future” in May, were reportedly reacting to Jewish speakers sharing their concerns about antisemitism on campus.
The three deans who resigned — Susan Chang-Kim, the college’s vice dean and chief administrative officer; Cristen Kromm, the dean of undergraduate student life; and Matthew Patashnick, the associate dean for student and family support — were placed on indefinite leave in July by university President Minouche Shafik while the school commenced an investigation into the incident.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, which publicised the text exchange in June after an attendee of the event shared photos of one of the dean’s cellphones, Chang-Kim sent a message to her colleagues saying, “I’m going to throw up," roughly an hour into the panel. The timing aligned with remarks from an audience member and daughter of a Holocaust survivor who described how her own daughter, a Columbia student, “was hiding in plain sight” on campus following the October 7 attacks.
