Latest news with #Columbias
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Columbia's Progressive March
Columbia Universitys commencement demonstrates the far left ideology of its faculty, but suggests that for students, much of this is performative. Last week, I attended my nephews graduation from Columbia College, Columbias Ivy League undergraduate division. As an alumnus of the college, as well as of Columbias business and law schools, I found the ceremony and left-leaning speeches familiar. As a conservative, even then, I was often verbally attacked by other students. On successive April Fools days, Columbia Daily Spectator even lampooned me as Kevin Spewak, spokesman for the fictional "Columbia Students in Opulence." Despite Columbias long-time liberal bent, including what we now refer to as "wokeness," its students generally embraced core principles of American exceptionalism, worked hard, and pursued traditional careers. Ironically, given todays problems, one of my classmates, David Friedman, became U.S. ambassador to Israel, and another, Michael Oren, became Israels ambassador to the U.S. When I attended the college, it admitted only men. Women were welcome at the engineering school, and Columbias affiliate, Barnard College. Last year, 51% of Columbias undergraduates were women (63%, including Barnard). Comparable to my class, about 15% of the graduating seniors were foreigners. Unlike my class, 63% of the Americans were minority students. That is a direct result of DEI. At the graduation ceremony, nearly every award was presented to a student pursuing studies in a woke subject, such as sustainable development or African-American studies (neither of which existed when I was a student), and most were engaged in progressive activities, such as interning with Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a hate group that advances Hamas objectives in the United States, or campaigning for tenants rights. The students gave a warm welcome to the colleges dean, Josef Sorett, a professor who focuses on African-American sexual politics and social justice, and who chaired Columbias Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee. Sorett was one of four Columbia deans who exchanged disparaging texts about Jews last year during a forum on antisemitism. He defended their prejudice by criticizing publication of their texts as an invasion of privacy. Only in a woke, antisemitic administration would Sorett have retained his job. The universitys acting president, former ABC anchor Claire Shipman did not receive as warm a welcome. A meaningful percentage of the seniors, and some guests, heckled her and broke into chants demanding freedom for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate student facing deportation for his role as an agent provocateur for Hamas. Shipman responded with humor and grace, and the heckling subsided after a few minutes. Two days later, the Civil Rights Office of the Department of Health and Human Services found Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by "acting with deliberate indifference towards student-on-student harassment of Jewish students from October 7, 2023, through the present." Still, the substance and brevity of the protest shows both the misguided priorities of students and the performative shallowness of their concerns. Students ended the demonstration so they could receive their diplomas, giving short shrift to Khalil and those who objected to Shipmans bringing in the police to evict pro-Palestinian demonstrators from Butler Library. That pragmatism is consistent with the majors selected by the vast majority of Columbias students. While the awards went to students adopting the progressive mantra, more than 96% of the majors and concentrations selected by seniors fell into traditional disciplines such as history, political science, computer science, math, and literature. Just 70 of 1,708 majors and concentrations were in sustainable development, human rights, ethnicity and race studies, or the like. Relatively few students attended the separate graduation ceremonies for Asian, black, "Lavender" (LGBTQIA+), native, and other "affinity groups." There was little interest in what New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor (best known for her concerns about flags flown by the wives of Supreme Court justices) had to say. On the other hand, while just 4% of Hispanics support the use of "Latinx," that is how they are labeled at Columbia. It also seemed that every student lauded from the stage was a dual major who studied at the "intersection" of something of progressive significance. I had a dual major when I attended Columbia. I didnt realize that made me intersectional. When a university promotes intersectional, oppressor dogma, approves of antisemitic tweets, and bestows praise only on the tiny minority of its students who exemplify progressive ideology, the result is a boot camp for DEI, open borders, social justice for criminals, antisemitism, and a liberal rules-based order. But, a look under the keffiyeh shows that the indoctrination may not endure, and the substantial majority of students of all races and national origins may soon enough refocus on traditional careers and success. For true converts, if they shun violence, the beauty of America is the right of citizens to hold and advocate misguided views. I doubt Columbia credits American exceptionalism for that liberty. Kenin M. Spivak is founder and chairman of SMI Group LLC, an international consulting firm and investment bank. He is the author of fiction and non-fiction books and a frequent speaker and contributor to media, including RealClearPolitics, The American Mind, National Review, television, radio, and podcasts.
American Military News
01-05-2025
- Business
- American Military News
US Navy awards Connecticut's Electric Boat another $12 billion for salaries, 2 submarines
The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that it has awarded another $12.4 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat as payment for two previously authorized Virginia-class submarines, as well as salary increases for shipyard workers. The Navy's agreement to boost pay comes as Electric Boat hires at unprecedented levels in an effort to meet aggressive Pentagon goals for modernization of the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet in the face of China's rapid naval expansion and its aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, ranking member of the Seapower Subcommittee of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, called the money for wages 'a welcomed development for our effort to hire and retain a highly-skilled shipyard workforce in southern New England.' 'From the standpoint of the U.S. House Seapower Subcommittee, the ability of the submarine industrial base to successfully execute production of Congress' submarine building plans depends on growing a new generation of shipbuilders,' said Courtney, a Democrat whose eastern Connecticut district includes Groton and Electric Boat. In addition to the salary money, the contract award includes billions of dollars more for completion and modification of two submarines approved in last year's budget. 'It provides Electric Boat with the funding to build two more Virginia class submarines and builds on a record backlog of work already in the queue at the Electric Boat shipyard to respond to the contested environment across the maritime domain,' Courtney said. The shipyard has been hiring at a furious pace – 5,300 in 2023, 4,100 in 2024, and another 3,000 projected this year – to meet the Navy's production schedule. In addition to the nuclear-powered Virginia class attack submarines, EB is building the massive nuclear-powered Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, which the Pentagon has made its priority project. The Navy wants more than 60 Virginia submarines at more than $4 million each and a dozen Columbias, which cost more than $9 million a ship. The U.S. has also agreed to sell at least three Virginia class submarines to Australia under a security agreement intended to contain China. In a letter to Courtney Wednesday, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelen underscored the Pentagon's commitment to hire and retain the workforce needed to sustain submarine production. 'I appreciate the continued congressional support to fund the highest priority and near-term needs of our nuclear shipbuilders to improve productivity across our submarine and carrier production lines,' Phelen wrote 'These investments you made, which are included in the contract, will increase capacity, enhance capabilities, and help grow the skilled workforce needed to support new construction nuclear shipbuilding efforts and our maritime industrial base.' The salary money sent to Electric Boat amounts to a recognition that the Navy needs to rejuvenate a moribund national manufacturing base if it is to be successful in harnessing the supply chain necessary to meet production goals. While Electric Boat has been a leader in the hiring and retention of shipyard workers, it has reached a contract impasse with its marine draftsman's union, which is threatening to strike. The Navy salary money is likely to become a factor in those talks. Courtney has been pushing the Navy to adopt measures to expand what has become known as the submarine industrial base. In the short term, Courtney said $500 million approved in a short term defense spending measure late last year should be directed to salaries at EB and Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, a secondary contractor on the Virginia and Columbia sub programs.. Looking farther ahead, Courtney has advocated a budgeting reform that would allow shipyards to cover salary overruns on submarines under construction by accessing contract money awarded in advance for construction of future ships. As a measure of the importance it places on expanding the submarine industrial base, the Navy said that in the decade ending in 2027, it plans to have invested $3.5 billion in areas such as supplier and workforce development. While submarine construction has increased drastically, the number of suppliers to the industrial base has dropped to about 5,000 from the 17,000 companies in business during the last submarine construction surge in the 1980s, the Navy said. ___ © 2025 Hartford Courant. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Navy awards CT's Electric Boat another $12 billion for salaries, two submarines
The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that it has awarded another $12.4 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat as payment for two previously authorized Virginia class submarines, as well as salary increases for shipyard workers. The Navy's agreement to boost pay comes as Electric Boat hires at unprecedented levels in an effort to meet aggressive Pentagon goals for modernization of the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet in the face of China's rapid naval expansion and its aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, ranking member of the Seapower Subcommittee of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, called the money for wages 'a welcomed development for our effort to hire and retain a highly-skilled shipyard workforce in southern New England.' 'From the standpoint of the U.S. House Seapower Subcommittee, the ability of the submarine industrial base to successfully execute production of Congress' submarine building plans depends on growing a new generation of shipbuilders,' said Courtney, a Democrat whose eastern Connecticut district includes Groton and Electric Boat. In addition to the salary money, the contract award includes billions of dollars more for completion and modification of two submarines approved in last year's budget. 'It provides Electric Boat with the funding to build two more Virginia class submarines and builds on a record backlog of work already in the queue at the Electric Boat shipyard to respond to the contested environment across the maritime domain,' Courtney said. The shipyard has been hiring at a furious pace – 5,300 in 2023, 4,100 in 2024, and another 3,000 projected this year – to meet the Navy's production schedule. In addition to the nuclear-powered Virginia class attack submarines, EB is building the massive nuclear powered Columbia class ballistic missile submarines, which the Pentagon has made its priority project. The Navy wants more than 60 Virginia submarines at more than $4 million each and a dozen Columbias, which cost more than $9 million a ship. The U.S. has also agreed to sell at least three Virginia class submarines to Australia under a security agreement intended to contain China. In a letter to Courtney Wednesday, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelen underscored the Pentagon's commitment to hire and retain the workforce needed to sustain submarine production. 'I appreciate the continued congressional support to fund the highest priority and near-term needs of our nuclear shipbuilders to improve productivity across our submarine and carrier production lines,' Phelen wrote 'These investments you made, which are included in the contract, will increase capacity, enhance capabilities, and help grow the skilled workforce needed to support new construction nuclear shipbuilding efforts and our maritime industrial base.' The salary money sent to Electric Boat amounts to a recognition that the Navy needs to rejuvenate a moribund national manufacturing base if it is to be successful in harnessing the supply chain necessary to meet production goals. While Electric Boat has been a leader in the hiring and retention of shipyard workers, it has reached a contract impasse with its marine draftsman's union, which is threatening to strike. The Navy salary money is likely to become a factor in those talks. Courtney has been pushing the Navy to adopt measures to expand what has become known as the submarine industrial base. In the short term, Courtney said $500 million approved in a short term defense spending measure late last year should be directed to salaries at EB and Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, a secondary contractor on the Virginia and Columbia sub programs.. Looking farther ahead, Courtney has advocated a budgeting reform that would allow shipyards to cover salary overruns on submarines under construction by accessing contract money awarded in advance for construction of future ships. As a measure of the importance it places on expanding the submarine industrial base, the Navy said that in the decade ending in 2027, it plans to have invested $3.5 billion in areas such as supplier and workforce development. While submarine construction has increased drastically, the number of suppliers to the industrial base has dropped to about 5,000 from the 17,000 companies in business during the last submarine construction surge in the 1980s, the Navy said.
