Barnard president says dumpster with swastika was defaced outside of campus, vows school is an 'inclusive environment'
The president of Barnard College issued a letter addressed to members of the school community following swastika graffiti appearing on campus.
'Antisemitic symbols and other forms of bigotry and discrimination have no place on our campus or in our society,' Laura Ann Rosenbury wrote.
The president of Barnard College, an official college of Columbia University in New York City, has issued a letter addressed to members of the school community following swastika graffiti appearing on campus.
In a letter to the university community on Monday, president Laura Ann Rosenbury stated that the graffiti was on “display” for “almost two hours before we were alerted to their presence.” She also said that the graffiti was not painted by a student, but rather, was already on the dumpster when it was delivered.
“The College took immediate steps to cover and remove this repugnant graffiti,” the letter read. “We also determined, through the review of security footage, that the dumpster arrived with the graffiti and was not defaced on our campus.”
“Antisemitic symbols and other forms of bigotry and discrimination have no place on our campus or in our society,” Rosenbury continued. “We are deeply committed to ensuring that Barnard is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for our entire community.”
New York City schools like Columbia have faced persistent problems relating to campus anti-Semitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks against Israel.
On Aug. 30, Columbia’s Task Force on Anti-Semitism released its second report that detailed how “many Jewish and Israeli students began to report multiple instances of harassment, verbal abuse and ostracism, and in some cases physical violence” following Oct. 7.
The document noted that “[s]tudents also reported that their efforts to seek redress from the University for the hostility and bigotry they were encountering were often unsuccessful,” and suggested that “there is an urgent need to reshape everyday social norms across the campuses of Columbia University.”
In August, a pro-Hamas activist told anti-Israel Columbia student activists to “take out” a pro-Israel professor during a webinar on “Islamic Political Activism.”
“How do we get him in trouble? How do we create a situation in which he’s in jeopardy?,” Tom Facchine said of Columbia Professor Shai Davidai.
Pro-Hamas activists also defaced Columbia Alma Mater statue with red paint on the first day of classes for the fall semester, promising that it was the first “action” of many to come.
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University and Barnard College for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
