Rep. Rich McCormick and fellow Republicans want a top college accreditation board to reevaluate Ivy League school
Breaking on Usa: House Republicans are pressing a prominent college accreditation board to review its criteria for accrediting Columbia University as a leading academic institution, following anti-Israel protests on campus and nationwide.
Led by Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., lawmakers penned a letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, alleging that the Ivy League institution in New York City violated established standards concerning ethics, integrity, and the support of student learning.
"Accreditation bodies are pivotal in upholding the quality and credibility of higher education by ensuring standards in areas such as curriculum, faculty qualifications, student services, facilities, and educational outcomes," the letter stated, underscoring the reliance of the U.S. Department of Education on accrediting agencies for maintaining quality assurance and public accountability.
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McCormick accused Columbia of becoming a hotbed for antisemitism in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel.
"Jewish students have been made to feel unsafe and have been subject to harassment and even physical violence by pro-Hamas student protesters and faculty," he said.
The letter went on to cite comments by professors in support of Palestine, including one professor who wrote a paper calling the sight of "Palestinian resistance fighters storming Israeli checkpoints" on Oct. 7 "astounding."
They also knocked the university's president for initially moving classes online when the protests began.
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The letter is signed by nine other Republican lawmakers, including the No. 4 House GOP leader, Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
House Republicans have been coming down hard on colleges that have seen anti-Israel encampments pop up on campus, with several university presidents being summoned to Capitol Hill to testify about how they are handling antisemitism at their schools.
"Columbia University no longer upholds the accreditation standards outlined by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. We urge you to reevaluate Columbia Universities’ accreditation based on their incompliance with Standard II: Ethics and Integrity, Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience, and Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience," the letter said.
