Stefanik criticizes Columbia University president over potential violation of the Civil Rights Act

House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik is criticizing Columbia University’s president over past comments that the congresswoman said are a potential violation of the Civil Rights Act, including her call to have an Arab person on the university board, as the university faces continued investigations into its handling of antisemitism on campus.

House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik is criticizing Columbia University’s president over past comments that the congresswoman said are a potential violation of the Civil Rights Act, including her call to have an Arab person on the university board, as the university faces continued investigations into its handling of antisemitism on campus. In a letter sent to acting university president Claire Shipman on Tuesday, Stefanik and GOP Rep. Tim Walberg, chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, pointed to a message from January 17, 2024, where Shipman – then the chair of Columbia University’s board of trustees – said the university needed “to get somebody from the middle east [sic] or who is Arab on our board,” adding, “Quickly I think. Somehow.” Stefanik and Walberg asked Shipman to clarify her comment, adding: “Were Columbia to act on this suggestion and appoint someone to the board specifically because of their national origin, it would implicate Title VI concerns.” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal funding. The letter also points to Shipman’s criticism of Jewish board member Shoshana Shendelman, whom Stefanik and Walberg claim is one of the board’s “most outspoken members against the bullying, harassment, and intimidation of Jewish students.” Shipman said of Shendelman in January 25, 2024, according to the letter: “I just don’t think she should be on the board.”