A pair of New York lawmakers introduced a bill on Friday to impose a third-party antisemitism monitor at universities and colleges following the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University that created a “hostile” environment for Jewish students.
Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) are sponsoring the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability, or COLUMBIA, Act that would impose third-party antisemitism monitors at collegiate institutions that receive federal funding. The monitor and its terms and conditions would be imposed by the education secretary, and the expenses to pay for the monitor would fall on the college or university selected.
Failure to comply with the monitorship would result in the loss of federal funds, according to a press release from Torres’s office.
“This past week’s crisis at Columbia is not an isolated incident — it is the straw that has broken the camel’s back — and I am prepared to do something about it,” Torres said in a statement. “That’s why I am introducing the COLUMBIA Act today, and I urge all of my colleagues in the House, from both parties, to join me in this crucial action.”
The monitor would release a publicly available online quarterly report that would evaluate the progress that a college or university has made toward combating antisemitism on campus. It would also make policy recommendations to Congress, the education secretary, and state and local regulators as needed.
“Jewish students have told my office that they feel completely abandoned by their university administrators and they view Congress as the only avenue for accountability and safety. Let’s honor our word to them and get this done,” Torres said.
