Latest news with #DebbieBecher
CNN
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Federal agency texts Columbia University and Barnard College employees a survey asking if they are Jewish
Staff members at Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City said they were taken aback earlier this week after receiving text messages on their personal devices linking to a survey which asked, in part, if they were Jewish or Israeli. The survey on Monday came from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and outlined that it was part of a federal investigation into workplace practices at the schools. The second question on the survey asks respondents to check boxes for all that apply, inquiring if they are Jewish, Israeli, have Jewish/Israeli ancestry or practice Judaism. Debbie Becher, an associate sociology professor at Barnard, said she was 'shocked' to receive the text. 'At first, I thought it was spam,' Becher, who is Jewish, told CNN. 'I was alarmed that the government would contact me in this way about such a serious matter.' In a text message sent to one Barnard College staff member seen by CNN, the employee's name appears at the top of the message, which encouraged recipients to contact an email address from the EEOC if they want to confirm the text's authenticity, the message shows. Columbia had sent out an email to staff and faculty on April 15 stating it had received a subpoena from the EEOC 'in connection with an investigation into alleged harassment of Jewish employees at the University from October 7, 2023, to the present.' The school said it was complying with the government's request for personal telephone numbers and mailing addresses for members of its staff. Barnard, a college affiliated with Columbia, however, sent no forewarning to its community, according to several staff members CNN spoke with. About two hours after the texts went out, Serena Longley, the college's vice president and general counsel, sent an email Monday to faculty and staff stating, 'Barnard was not given advance notice of this outreach.' Two days later, the school explained in another email to employees it was aware of access to personal contact information being granted to the EEOC, but maintained it did not know the survey was being sent out. Barnard said the EEOC's commissioner, Andrea Lucas, initiated an investigation last summer against the college concerning whether it 'discriminated against Jewish employees on the basis of their national origin, religion, and/or race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,' according to the email. The college told its employees Wednesday it has been 'robustly defending' itself against the inquiry, but said the EEOC was legally entitled to gain access to contact information for Barnard's employees so the commission 'could offer employees the option to voluntarily participate in their investigation,' the email stated. 'Barnard complied with this lawful request,' the college said in the email. The surveys come as the Trump administration takes aim at higher education institutions in the US in an effort the administration says is to fight antisemitism and address what President Donald Trump has called 'Hamas sympathizers' on college campuses. Several Barnard staff members told CNN the college has their personal contact information in case of emergency only. 'The cellphone belongs to me, it doesn't belong to Barnard,' said Nara Milanich, chair of the school's history department. Milanich, who is Jewish, said she 'didn't even know it was legal' for the school to turn her information over. Another staff member who received the text, and who wished to remain anonymous out of concern for their job, expressed fears it might not just have been their own information that was shared with the government. 'It would be one thing if they gave them my office number, but they gave them my cellphone number, and who knows what else? I'm concerned that they may have given the numbers of my emergency contacts and my loved ones, who have nothing to do with any of this. I'm worried if they gave other personal identifying information about me,' the staff member said. 'There's a lot that I don't know and that I am very disheartened by.' The survey that was sent to employees at both schools recommended that respondents not reply to it during work hours or on company-supplied equipment. Still, the perceived breach of privacy has rattled the recipients. The survey also asked for specific information about identifying when the respondents began working for the school, and who their supervisors are. 'Barnard seems perfectly willing to do anything that it can to appease an administration that is interested in inserting itself and taking over our college and telling us who to teach and how,' Becher said. The administration has been vocal about being against pro-Palestinian student protests that have broken out on various college campuses – including Columbia – since the Israel-Hamas war began. Trump signed an executive order highlighting measures to combat antisemitism on campuses during his second week in office. And last month, Columbia was listed as one of 60 universities under investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights warning them of 'potential enforcement actions' if they failed to protect Jewish students on their campuses under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC responded to CNN's request for comment on the surveys, stating in an email, 'Per federal law, we cannot comment on investigations, nor can we confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.' Columbia declined to comment on a pending investigation, a university spokesperson told CNN. 'I think there's a troubling dynamic in which administrators and faculty, who should be on the same side of this whole challenging moment that we are in, are not working together,' says Milanich. 'We should be working together to defend our institution and defend the values of our college, but this feels like more evidence for that not happening as it should.' CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Rene Marsh, Karina Tsui and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal agency texts Columbia University and Barnard College employees a survey asking if they are Jewish
Staff members at Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City said they were taken aback earlier this week after receiving text messages on their personal devices linking to a survey which asked, in part, if they were Jewish or Israeli. The survey on Monday came from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and outlined that it was part of a federal investigation into workplace practices at the schools. The second question on the survey asks respondents to check boxes for all that apply, inquiring if they are Jewish, Israeli, have Jewish/Israeli ancestry or practice Judaism. Debbie Becher, an associate sociology professor at Barnard, said she was 'shocked' to receive the text. 'At first, I thought it was spam,' Becher, who is Jewish, told CNN. 'I was alarmed that the government would contact me in this way about such a serious matter.' In a text message sent to one Barnard College staff member seen by CNN, the employee's name appears at the top of the message, which encouraged recipients to contact an email address from the EEOC if they want to confirm the text's authenticity, the message shows. Columbia had sent out an email to staff and faculty on April 15 stating it had received a subpoena from the EEOC 'in connection with an investigation into alleged harassment of Jewish employees at the University from October 7, 2023, to the present.' The school said it was complying with the government's request for personal telephone numbers and mailing addresses for members of its staff. Barnard, a college affiliated with Columbia, however, sent no forewarning to its community, according to several staff members CNN spoke with. About two hours after the texts went out, Serena Longley, the college's vice president and general counsel, sent an email Monday to faculty and staff stating, 'Barnard was not given advance notice of this outreach.' Two days later, the school explained in another email to employees it was aware of access to personal contact information being granted to the EEOC, but maintained it did not know the survey was being sent out. Barnard said the EEOC's commissioner, Andrea Lucas, initiated an investigation last summer against the college concerning whether it 'discriminated against Jewish employees on the basis of their national origin, religion, and/or race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,' according to the email. The college told its employees Wednesday it has been 'robustly defending' itself against the inquiry, but said the EEOC was legally entitled to gain access to contact information for Barnard's employees so the commission 'could offer employees the option to voluntarily participate in their investigation,' the email stated. 'Barnard complied with this lawful request,' the college said in the email. The surveys come as the Trump administration takes aim at higher education institutions in the US in an effort the administration says is to fight antisemitism and address what President Donald Trump has called 'Hamas sympathizers' on college campuses. Several Barnard staff members told CNN the college has their personal contact information in case of emergency only. 'The cellphone belongs to me, it doesn't belong to Barnard,' said Nara Milanich, chair of the school's history department. Milanich, who is Jewish, said she 'didn't even know it was legal' for the school to turn her information over. Another staff member who received the text, and who wished to remain anonymous out of concern for their job, expressed fears it might not just have been their own information that was shared with the government. 'It would be one thing if they gave them my office number, but they gave them my cellphone number, and who knows what else? I'm concerned that they may have given the numbers of my emergency contacts and my loved ones, who have nothing to do with any of this. I'm worried if they gave other personal identifying information about me,' the staff member said. 'There's a lot that I don't know and that I am very disheartened by.' The survey that was sent to employees at both schools recommended that respondents not reply to it during work hours or on company-supplied equipment. Still, the perceived breach of privacy has rattled the recipients. The survey also asked for specific information about identifying when the respondents began working for the school, and who their supervisors are. 'Barnard seems perfectly willing to do anything that it can to appease an administration that is interested in inserting itself and taking over our college and telling us who to teach and how,' Becher said. The administration has been vocal about being against pro-Palestinian student protests that have broken out on various college campuses – including Columbia – since the Israel-Hamas war began. Trump signed an executive order highlighting measures to combat antisemitism on campuses during his second week in office. And last month, Columbia was listed as one of 60 universities under investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights warning them of 'potential enforcement actions' if they failed to protect Jewish students on their campuses under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC responded to CNN's request for comment on the surveys, stating in an email, 'Per federal law, we cannot comment on investigations, nor can we confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.' Columbia declined to comment on a pending investigation, a university spokesperson told CNN. 'I think there's a troubling dynamic in which administrators and faculty, who should be on the same side of this whole challenging moment that we are in, are not working together,' says Milanich. 'We should be working together to defend our institution and defend the values of our college, but this feels like more evidence for that not happening as it should.' CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Rene Marsh, Karina Tsui and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
CNN
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Federal agency texts Columbia University and Barnard College employees a survey asking if they are Jewish
Staff members at Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City said they were taken aback earlier this week after receiving text messages on their personal devices linking to a survey which asked, in part, if they were Jewish or Israeli. The survey on Monday came from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and outlined that it was part of a federal investigation into workplace practices at the schools. The second question on the survey asks respondents to check boxes for all that apply, inquiring if they are Jewish, Israeli, have Jewish/Israeli ancestry or practice Judaism. Debbie Becher, an associate sociology professor at Barnard, said she was 'shocked' to receive the text. 'At first, I thought it was spam,' Becher, who is Jewish, told CNN. 'I was alarmed that the government would contact me in this way about such a serious matter.' In a text message sent to one Barnard College staff member seen by CNN, the employee's name appears at the top of the message, which encouraged recipients to contact an email address from the EEOC if they want to confirm the text's authenticity, the message shows. Columbia had sent out an email to staff and faculty on April 15 stating it had received a subpoena from the EEOC 'in connection with an investigation into alleged harassment of Jewish employees at the University from October 7, 2023, to the present.' The school said it was complying with the government's request for personal telephone numbers and mailing addresses for members of its staff. Barnard, a college affiliated with Columbia, however, sent no forewarning to its community, according to several staff members CNN spoke with. About two hours after the texts went out, Serena Longley, the college's vice president and general counsel, sent an email Monday to faculty and staff stating, 'Barnard was not given advance notice of this outreach.' Two days later, the school explained in another email to employees it was aware of access to personal contact information being granted to the EEOC, but maintained it did not know the survey was being sent out. Barnard said the EEOC's commissioner, Andrea Lucas, initiated an investigation last summer against the college concerning whether it 'discriminated against Jewish employees on the basis of their national origin, religion, and/or race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,' according to the email. The college told its employees Wednesday it has been 'robustly defending' itself against the inquiry, but said the EEOC was legally entitled to gain access to contact information for Barnard's employees so the commission 'could offer employees the option to voluntarily participate in their investigation,' the email stated. 'Barnard complied with this lawful request,' the college said in the email. The surveys come as the Trump administration takes aim at higher education institutions in the US in an effort the administration says is to fight antisemitism and address what President Donald Trump has called 'Hamas sympathizers' on college campuses. Several Barnard staff members told CNN the college has their personal contact information in case of emergency only. 'The cellphone belongs to me, it doesn't belong to Barnard,' said Nara Milanich, chair of the school's history department. Milanich, who is Jewish, said she 'didn't even know it was legal' for the school to turn her information over. Another staff member who received the text, and who wished to remain anonymous out of concern for their job, expressed fears it might not just have been their own information that was shared with the government. 'It would be one thing if they gave them my office number, but they gave them my cellphone number, and who knows what else? I'm concerned that they may have given the numbers of my emergency contacts and my loved ones, who have nothing to do with any of this. I'm worried if they gave other personal identifying information about me,' the staff member said. 'There's a lot that I don't know and that I am very disheartened by.' The survey that was sent to employees at both schools recommended that respondents not reply to it during work hours or on company-supplied equipment. Still, the perceived breach of privacy has rattled the recipients. The survey also asked for specific information about identifying when the respondents began working for the school, and who their supervisors are. 'Barnard seems perfectly willing to do anything that it can to appease an administration that is interested in inserting itself and taking over our college and telling us who to teach and how,' Becher said. The administration has been vocal about being against pro-Palestinian student protests that have broken out on various college campuses – including Columbia – since the Israel-Hamas war began. Trump signed an executive order highlighting measures to combat antisemitism on campuses during his second week in office. And last month, Columbia was listed as one of 60 universities under investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights warning them of 'potential enforcement actions' if they failed to protect Jewish students on their campuses under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC responded to CNN's request for comment on the surveys, stating in an email, 'Per federal law, we cannot comment on investigations, nor can we confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.' Columbia declined to comment on a pending investigation, a university spokesperson told CNN. 'I think there's a troubling dynamic in which administrators and faculty, who should be on the same side of this whole challenging moment that we are in, are not working together,' says Milanich. 'We should be working together to defend our institution and defend the values of our college, but this feels like more evidence for that not happening as it should.' CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Rene Marsh, Karina Tsui and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why did US government ask Barnard College staff if they were Jewish
Dozens of current and former Barnard College employees received unexpected text messages on Monday evening asking if they are Jewish or Israeli, according to a New York Times report — a development that has sparked widespread concern, confusion, and troubling comparisons to historical episodes of persecution. The messages, sent to personal mobile phones, claimed to be from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and linked to a survey related to an ongoing federal investigation into alleged discrimination against Jewish employees at Barnard. The college confirmed on Wednesday that the messages were authentic and part of an EEOC probe launched last summer. Barnard's general counsel, Serena Longley, told faculty via email that the college had handed over employee contact information to the EEOC to allow them to participate in the investigation. 'Participation in the survey is voluntary,' she wrote. The survey contained direct questions about experiences of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment in the workplace, including whether staff had faced 'unwelcome comments, jokes or discussions,' or 'antisemitic or anti-Israeli protests' that disrupted their working environment. The method of outreach alarmed many on campus. 'Clearly, it made everyone scared,' said Debbie Becher, a Jewish professor of sociology. 'I've been getting text messages from my former graduate students and other faculty members — I still am — asking what they should do.' Becher called the government's tactics 'a bit terrifying,' saying, 'The federal government wants to know who the Jews are through some text message and Microsoft Office form.' Nara Milanich, a history professor at Barnard, drew a chilling parallel to fascist regimes. 'We've seen this movie before, and it ends with yellow stars,' she said, recalling research on 1930s Italy. She criticised the federal government's approach as 'fishing' for evidence. 'Evidently, they don't have sufficient people to file lawsuits, so they have to go shake the trees to find people?' The Trump administration has been targeting elite universities, accusing them of tolerating antisemitism. Columbia University , with which Barnard is affiliated, has seen pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus and is currently facing the withholding of over $400 million in federal research funding until it addresses concerns about antisemitism. Federal immigration officials have also detained some pro-Palestinian protesters for possible deportation. While Barnard officials have not publicly commented, the college has reportedly been 'robustly defending' itself against the EEOC inquiry. The agency has not responded to media requests. Longley assured faculty that Barnard would, in future, provide advance notice before disclosing personal information to government agencies — unless legally barred from doing so.
The Intercept
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Trump Administration Texted College Professors' Personal Phones to Ask If They're Jewish
Most professors at Barnard College received text messages on Monday notifying them that a federal agency was reviewing the college's employment practices, according to copies of the messages reviewed by The Intercept. The messages, sent to most Barnard professors' personal cellphones, asked them to complete a voluntary survey about their employment. 'Please select all that apply,' said the second question in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, survey. 'The federal government reaching out to our personal cellphones to identify who is Jewish is incredibly sinister.' The choices followed: 'I am Jewish'; 'I am Israeli'; 'I have shared Jewish/Israeli ancestry'; 'I practice Judaism'; and 'Other.' Other questions asked respondents whether they had been subjected to antisemitism, as well as whether they were subject to 'unwelcome discussions,' graffiti or signs depicting antisemitic messages or images, antisemitic or anti-Israeli protests, 'unwelcome comments, jokes or discussions,' or 'pressure to abandon, change or adopt a practice or religious belief.' 'The federal government reaching out to our personal cellphones to identify who is Jewish is incredibly sinister,' said Barnard associate professor Debbie Becher, who is Jewish and received the text. 'They are clearly targeting what most of the United States, I hope and I think, defines as freedom of speech, but only in the case of anti-Israeli speech.' EEOC Investigation In an email to professors on Wednesday after The Intercept first reported on the text, the general counsel at Barnard, a women's college affiliated with Columbia University, said the EEOC initiated an investigation against Barnard last summer into whether the school had discriminated against Jewish employees. The EEOC was 'legally entitled to obtain the contact information of Barnard's employees' to send out the option to 'voluntarily participate in their investigation,' Barnard vice president and general counsel Serena Longley wrote in the email obtained by The Intercept. Barnard complied with the request. Going forward, the school said it would provide advance notice of any future requirements to provide staff information in connection with an investigation or litigation unless they were subject to a court order prohibiting them from doing so. Longley told staff they were not required to participate in the EEOC survey. In a previous email on Monday evening, the general counsel at Barnard said the school had received multiple reports about the EEOC texts. 'Barnard was not given advance notice of this outreach,' Longley wrote. 'If you choose to respond, please know that both federal law and Barnard policy strictly prohibit any form of retaliation.' Neither the EEOC nor Barnard immediately responded to requests for comment. The text messages are the latest episode stoking tensions on campus at Columbia, a flashpoint in the protests against the war on Gaza and the ensuing crackdown carried out by school administrators and the federal government. Weaponizing EEOC The Trump administration has already weaponized the EEOC, once tasked with enforcing laws against discrimination, as part of Donald Trump's broad-based attacks on national programs to bolster 'DEI,' or diversity, equity, and inclusion. These initiatives have been villainized in Trump's rhetoric and attacked in executive orders that carried severe consequences for their targets. The EEOC is intended to be an independent agency. It currently lacks a quorum, meaning that it is operating largely at the whims of Trump appointee, Republican Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. Those attacks on DEI have leveraged the EEOC to retaliate against corporate law firms that have drawn Trump's ire. It was reported on Tuesday that a new federal task force at the Department of Veterans Affairs is asking employees to report 'anti-Christian bias' to the government. Professors who received the survey link told The Intercept they're concerned that the EEOC is now being used to attack faculty on college campuses that have been the site of yearslong protests against Israel's war on Gaza. At first, some people thought the text message was spam, said Becher, the Barnard professor. 'The email that we received seems to confirm for us that Barnard thinks it is the EEOC, and not something else,' Becher said. 'The government is weaponizing the EEOC in service of their own hatred and service of their own desire to destroy higher education,' Becher said. 'And in their desire to silence speech about — as they have been — their desire to silence any speech that might criticize Israel as part of that larger campaign as well.' No Assurances One professor, who asked for anonymity for fear of retaliation, said several students also received the message Another professor who is not currently employed at Barnard also received the text, the Barnard professor said. The Barnard professor said they were alarmed by news of the inquiry and that the government had access to their personal cellphone numbers and names. They said they were not aware of any professors at Columbia outside of Barnard receiving the EEOC text. The professor said they were concerned that the survey opened a new pathway for people to make anonymous complaints to the government about faculty supporting pro-Palestine students. Barnard launched an anonymous 'Ethics Reporting Hotline' last week. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have blamed DEI for myriad government problems from plane crashes to the killing of U.S. soldiers abroad. The administration has used its stated efforts to dismantle 'wokeness' and DEI to undo the legacy of the civil rights movement — part of its broader play to supporters in the Christian far-right. Trump has made eradicating anti-Christian bias — largely a myth — a cornerstone of his platform, critical to maintaining his relationship with his mass of right-wing evangelical supporters. The survey sent to Barnard professors noted that the questions were part of an EEOC inquiry into the school. It also noted that the fact that EEOC was reviewing Barnard's employment practices 'does not mean there has been a violation of the law.' Barnard has been complicit and worked with the administration on its false campaign against antisemitism for over a year, Becher said. 'This administration of white nationalists has never been interested in antisemitism, an administration that is full of hate,' Becher said. 'It's farcical to say that what this is actually doing is protecting us from antisemitism.' Barnard President Laura Ann Rosenbury has also resisted faculty requests that the administration confirm that they won't give out information to the government without a court order, Becher said. 'It's farcical to say that what this is actually doing is protecting us from antisemitism.' 'They are not responding to our requests even for information about whether they've met with them in the middle of this time when we know that they have been called to a congressional briefing,' she said. 'They're providing us with absolutely no assurances that they are protecting us and even just protecting information about us that is private.' It's important for the government to have the power to investigate entities for discriminatory practices, Becher said, but that's not what they're doing in this case. Most of the efforts to use civil rights to silence people at universities has come under Title VI provisions that protect against discrimination by national origin. 'This is using Title VII, which is anti-discrimination in employment,' Becher said. 'They are using Title VII procedures that a non-fascist, non-weaponized government we want to have access to. That is, the power to proactively investigate discriminatory employers. But they're using it to attack a targeted civil society institution.' This story has been updated to include more information about the EEOC survey text messages and background on the Trump administration's weaponization of the agency and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
