COLUMBIA JEWS WANT OUTSIDE PROBE

Click here: New York Post Online Edition:
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/43582.htm


COLUMBIA JEWS WANT OUTSIDE PROBE
By DAVID ANDREATTA Education Reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 1, 2005 -- Calling a Columbia University report on charges of student intimidation by professors a "whitewash," angry students and faculty yesterday said they may call for an independent inquiry into their complaints.
The report, released by a committee of five faculty members, did not address dozens of gripes from Jewish students that they had been harassed by Middle East studies instructors — focusing instead on three alleged instances of intimidation.

The committee, which was the second body created by the university in recent years to tackle the issue, found just one of the instances credible.

"It's a whitewash and it's offensive," said freshman Alexandra Polsky. "There's a feeling on campus that there is a status quo of opinions, and if you dare challenge it, you have to be overly prepared to defend yourself."

Ariel Beery, a senior whose group Columbians for Academic Freedom has been at the forefront of the simmering controversy, said the report was "the second strike against Columbia when it comes to students' rights."

He called the committee's finding that statements made by pro-Palestinian faculty were not anti-Semitic "deeply insulting" — not because it is false but because student complaints were about intimidation, not racism.

He spoke before upward of 60 students and faculty members who gathered at the front gates of campus to protest the report.


-----------------
Forwarded Message:
Subj: Check out New York Post Online Edition:
Date: 4/2/2005 12:52:49 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
From: Ariel
To: Reysmont



Click here: New York Post Online Edition: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/22910.htm


JEWS BLAST NEW COLUMBIA REPORT
By DAVID ANDREATTA Education Reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 31, 2005 -- Despite dozens of complaints from Jewish students at Columbia University that Middle East studies professors had intimidated them, an internal probe has found only a single instance where an instructor acted unreasonably toward a pro-Israel student.
The report by a faculty committee responsible for investigating the allegations also accuses pro-Israel students of disrupting lectures and finds no evidence that faculty members made anti-Semitic statements.

Students who last night read the report, which is to be released to the public today, expressed outrage over the findings and vowed to fight on.

"I am saddened and disgusted by this report," said Aharon Horwitz, who had testified before the committee. "It delegitimizes numerous valid complaints by students, and we are determined to fight on for justice."

Many students said they were not surprised by the findings because of their longstanding belief that the five-member committee was biased.

Their belief is based in part on reports that at least one of the committee members, Farah Jasmine Griffin, signed a petition calling on the university to distance itself from companies that provide arms to Israel.

"It is absolutely preposterous that Columbia University would set up a committee of insiders with a prepackaged response that denigrates the experiences of its own students," said Ariel Beery, of Columbians for Academic Freedom, the student group instrumental in making the allegations public.



Fueling the ire was word that the university's public-affairs department leaked a copy of the report to The New York Times — which first reported the findings on its Web site — before showing it to the students who made the charges.

Sophomore Bari Weiss said the move illustrated the school's lack of respect for students.

A Columbia spokeswoman did not return repeated phone calls for comment.

The report found that just one professor, Joseph Massad, overstepped his bounds when he ripped a student who challenged his take on Israel's conduct toward Palestinians by saying:

"If you're going to deny the atrocities being committed against Palestinians, then you can get out of my classroom!"

Massad, who is undergoing a tenure review, denies the episode.

The report is the result of a months-long inquiry sparked by the release of a short film in which students detailed their grievances.

Students said they made the documentary, "Columbia Unbecoming," because their reports of intimidation had not been taken seriously.

The committee reportedly called for a revamped grievance process.