Claire Shipman, prior to her appointment as the acting President of Columbia University, allegedly proposed the replacement of a Jewish trustee on the board who had voiced concerns about antisemitism on campus with an Arab member.
This information was revealed through text messages obtained by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, as reported by The Post Millennial.
In a text message dated January 17, 2024, Shipman, who was then co-chair of Columbias board of trustees, stated, "We need to get somebody from the middle east [sic] or who is Arab on our board. Quickly, I think. Somehow." A week later, she expressed her dissatisfaction with fellow trustee Shoshana Shendelman, a vocal critic of campus antisemitism, stating, "I just dont think she should be on the board," and labeling Shendelman as "extraordinarily unhelpful."
Shipman also suggested to Columbias vice-chair, Wanda Greene, that Shendelman should be excluded from negotiations with radical activists on campus, accusing her of "fishing for information." When Greene questioned, "Do you believe that she is a mole? A fox in the henhouse?" Shipman responded affirmatively, "I do."
Shendelman, whose family escaped Iran during the Islamic Revolution, had been advocating for stronger measures to restore order on campus. The university did not involve the police until pro-Hamas activists allegedly held janitors hostage after seizing a campus building. Greene expressed her exhaustion with Shendelman in a text, to which Shipman responded, So so tired.
These text exchanges were included in a letter sent by Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Tuesday. The letter sought clarification from Columbias leadership and raised concerns about potential civil rights violations.
The letter highlighted Shipmans suggestion to appoint an Arab trustee, particularly in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, which resulted in the massacre of 1,200 people and over 200 taken hostage. It stated that this "raises troubling questions regarding Columbias priorities" and warned that board appointments based on national origin could potentially violate Title VI.
The lawmakers also questioned the attempt to sideline Shendelman, stating: Your comments raise the question of why you appeared to be in favor of removing one of the boards most outspoken Jewish advocates at a time when Columbia students were facing a shocking level of fear and hostility.
In a WhatsApp message dated October 30, 2023, to then-university President Minouche Shafik, Shipman acknowledged the campus unrest: People are really frustrated and scared about antisemitism on our campus and they feel somehow betrayed by it. Which is not necessarily a rational feeling, but its deep and it is quite threatening. She suggested the creation of a task force to alleviate pressure on Shafik, who resigned in August 2024.
The committee criticized Shipmans description of Jewish students concerns as irrational. The letter stated, Your descriptionthat people feel somehow betrayed and that this is not necessarily a rational feeling, but that it is threateningis perplexing, considering the violence and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students already occurring on Columbias campus at the time.
These revelations have intensified scrutiny of Columbias handling of antisemitism on campus following the Palestinian terror attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023. In March, the Trump administration cut $400 million in federal funding to the university. In April, then-president Katrina Armstrong admitted she could not recall a single incident from the universitys antisemitism report. Two months later, the Department of Education informed Columbias accreditor that the university was out of compliance with accreditation standards, leading to staff layoffs due to funding cuts.
Shipman dismissed the federal investigation in a December 2023 text message, referring to it as "the capital [sic] hill nonsense and threat."
The committee strongly condemned this remark, stating, Your reference to capital [sic] hill nonsense is disturbing given Congresss role in conducting oversight to ensure universities are fulfilling their obligations to protect Jewish students. Congresss efforts to ensure the safety and security of Jewish studentswho make up almost a quarter of your campus populationis not capital [sic] hill nonsense.
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