Must be pre-law... Not surprising...

Jewish student sues Columbia, alleging it is failing to provide a safe environment

From CNN's Matt Egan

An anonymous Jewish student alleged in a lawsuit filed Monday that Columbia University is failing to provide a safe learning environment for students during the ongoing pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, argues Columbia has “become a place that is too dangerous for Columbia’s Jewish students to receive the education they were promised.”

The complaint, filed against Columbia’s board of trustees in the Southern District of New York, includes numerous redacted sections to protect the identity of the plaintiff, who is described as a “Jewish student in her second year” and whose education has been disrupted by the hostile environment on campus.

The lawsuit takes particular issue with the decision by Columbia to go to a hybrid learning model last week amid the unrest on campus.

“Jewish students…get a second-class education where they are relegated to their homes to attend classes virtually and stripped of the opportunity to interact meaningfully with other students and faculty and sit for examinations with their peers,” the lawsuit said. “The segregation of Jewish students is a dangerous development that can quickly escalate into more severe acts of violence and discrimination.”

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff is seeking to “hold Columbia accountable for failing to provide a safe educational environment for its students.”

Through a separate motion, the plaintiff is also seeking an emergency injunction aimed at requiring Columbia to enforce its Statement of Ethical Conduct and Administrative Code of Conduct to provide secure access to education. 

Columbia declined to comment on the lawsuit. 

Columbia president Minouche Shafik acknowledged in a statement on Monday that many Jewish students and other students have “found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks.”

“Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy. To those students and their families, I want to say to you clearly: You are a valued part of the Columbia community,” Shafik said. “This is your campus too. We are committed to making Columbia safe for everyone, and to ensuring that you feel welcome and valued.”

The lawsuit alleges that a subset of protesters has committed acts of violence, harassed Jewish students and faculty and incited hate speech and acts of violence. 

“These extreme demonstrators are not engaging in constitutionally protected free speech. Instead, they are openly inciting violence against Jewish students,” the lawsuit said. 

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff argues the shift to hybrid at Columbia hurt her academic performance and “left her feeling excluded and marginalized from her educational university and her university more generally.”

“Had Plaintiff known that Columbia would not provide a safe educational environment, she would not have chosen to enroll at or pay tuition to Columbia,” the lawsuit said.