Dear Members of the Barnard Community,
The Task Force on Antisemitism issued their second report today focused on the experiences, concerns, and insights from students at Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College. The report documents a pattern of unacceptable incidents that took place on our campuses over the past year. It offers painful examples of antisemitism and other biases that students confronted in a range of campus settings. The climate depicted in the report is at odds with the values of civility, respect, and inclusion that we have long sought to promote at Barnard.
I commend the nearly 500 students at Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College who shared their stories with the Task Force with such candor, bravery, and eloquence. Their testimonials demand that we work together to make Barnard a more inclusive community. Antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination have no place at Barnard, and we must rededicate ourselves to fostering a learning and living environment devoid of prejudice and exclusion.
The College takes the recommendations outlined by the Task Force very seriously. Some of the recommendations align with efforts already underway at Barnard, while others introduce fresh approaches that will help us improve our work in the months to come. Starting this year, we will require all students, faculty, and staff to complete anti-discrimination training, and we have incorporated sessions in our New Student Orientation Program, happening now, that focus on how to use upstander strategies to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia. We also have a years-long policy that prohibits the exclusion of any student from Barnard-recognized clubs or organizations based on identity, political beliefs, or majors of study. In light of the report’s findings, we will take additional steps to ensure that these clubs and organizations abide by this policy. We know there is much more to be done, and we will do this work with each other and with our partners at Columbia and Teachers College.
I am grateful to the Task Force members for their ongoing work, and I particularly thank our own Professor Deborah Valenze, who has served so ably on the committee and helped author the report. We now must all come together to strengthen our community and forcefully confront incidents of discrimination and harassment.
As I asked at Convocation, please embrace and see each other, especially across our differences. Befriend those with whom you disagree. Talk with each other, particularly about difficult issues. Allow your differences to deepen your understanding of the world. This connection is what makes Barnard so special, and I am ready to work with you to ensure that our community is a place where everyone feels like they belong.
Very truly yours,
Laura Ann Rosenbury
President, Barnard College