While some outspoken pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists cheered her departure, others said that Shafik deserved a chance to setter the school through calmer waters this year.
“I write with sadness to tell you that I am stepping down as president of Columbia University effective August 14, 2024,” Shafik wrote.
Columbia University is restricting campus access to prevent disruptions from expected anti-Israel protests as the new semester begins.
The incident comes two months after vandals defaced the home of the Jewish director of the Brooklyn Museum in a similar manner, painting a red triangle on her door.
The message exchanges took place during an event on campus titled "Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present, and Future" and followed weeks of protests at Columbia.
American and European institutions of higher learning harbor academics promoting the idea of the West as a sinful civilization, irremediably guilty of the most horrific crimes.
Three Columbia University staff members had been suspended after a text chat had been leaked in which they mocked a panel on Jewish campus life and safety concerns.
The exchanges show the university officials downplaying students’ concerns about antisemitism and bashing the head of the school’s Hillel.
Charges were dropped against 30 students, and 13 more were offered an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal.
During the May 31 panel, titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present, and Future,” four administrators texted each other while the panelists discussed campus antisemitism.
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