Two congressional lawmakers from totally different sides of the aisle, each of whom signify New York, are introducing laws in response to antisemitic protests which have created a hostile atmosphere for Jewish college students at Columbia University, placing their security and well-being in danger.
Reps. Mike Lawler, a Republican, and Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, introduced the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability (COLUMBIA) Act on Friday, which, if handed, would give the U.S. Department of Education the facility to impose a third-party antisemitism monitor to high schools receiving federal funding.
“Rising antisemitism on our college campuses is a major concern, and we must act to ensure the safety of students,” Lawler stated. “If colleges will not step up to protect their students, Congress must act.”
Under the proposed legislation, the Secretary of Education would appoint the monitor and set the phrases and situations of their work, whereas the school or college chosen to be monitored can be chargeable for paying the monitorship bills.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MOVES TO HYBRID LEARNING ON MAIN CAMPUS AMID ANTISEMITIC PROTESTS
If handed, faculties and universities that fail to adjust to the monitorship would face shedding federal funding.
The appointed monitor will probably be chargeable for creating and publishing an internet quarterly report that evaluates progress on combating antisemitism on the school or college.
The report may even embody suggestions for Congress, the Secretary of Education and others as wanted.
COLUMBIA SETS DEADLINE FOR AGREEMENT WITH PROTESTERS, THREATENS ‘ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS’ FOR CLEARING PROTESTERS
“My office and I have spoken with countless Jewish students from campuses across America who feel deeply unsafe, purely as a result of their religious and ethnic identity. This is a blatant violation of Title VI, and the federal government cannot allow this to continue unchecked,” Torres stated. “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. 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.”
Students at Columbia and its sister faculty, Barnard College, have been camped out on campus whereas holding demonstrations in protest of Columbia’s investments in firms with ties to Israel.
COLUMBIA SETS DEADLINE FOR AGREEMENT WITH PROTESTERS, THREATENS ‘ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS’ FOR CLEARING PROTESTERS
The protests are a part of a wider progressive backlash in opposition to Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror assaults in opposition to the Jewish state.
The protest at Columbia, and related ones cropping up at faculties across the nation, are actually dealing with bipartisan backlash and accusations of getting waded into antisemitic territory.
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Videos popping up on social media present activists cheering on the deaths of Israeli troopers and exhibiting help for Hamas at Columbia University. Jewish college students have additionally reported feeling unsafe on campus and shared tales of being verbally and bodily assaulted.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.