Surveillance noticed: Federal agency sends questionnaire to Columbia University and Barnard College workers, inquiring about their Jewish identity.
Rewritten Article:
Last week, an unexpected text message sent to staff members at Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City left many feeling alarmed. The message contained a link to a survey run by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) probing into workplace practices at the schools, with questions regarding Jewish or Israeli backgrounds.
Initiated as part of a federal investigation, the survey broadcast to these institutions on Monday probed respondents for their Jewish, Israeli, Jewish ancestry, or Jewish faith.
Caught off guard, Debbie Becher, an associate professor of sociology at Barnard, was initially taken aback, having initially assumed the message was spam. "It was alarming to receive a government contact about such a significant matter through my personal device," she expressed to CNN, being Jewish herself.
The EEOC's text message prompted recipients to verify the message's authenticity by contacting an email address provided in the message. Columbia University had earlier sent out an email on April 15 informing staff and faculty that they had received a subpoena from the EEOC related to an investigation into allegations of harassment of Jewish employees at the university since October 7, 2023. This email also revealed that the university was complying with the EEOC's request for personal telephone numbers and mailing addresses of its staff members.
However, Barnard College seems to have failed to warn its own community about this development, according to multiple staff members that CNN spoke with. Approximately two hours after the texts were circulated, Serena Longley, Barnard's vice president and general counsel, sent an email to faculty and staff, acknowledging that the college had not been notified ahead of this outreach.
A couple of days later, the school explained in another email to its employees that it was aware of granting the EEOC access to their personal contact information. The school also clarified that they did not know about the survey being sent out.
The EEOC had initiated a summer-long investigation against Barnard, alleging that the college might have 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, as stated in the email.
Columbia and Barnard College staff members expressed concerns about the violation of their privacy, with several insisting that their personal contact information, especially their mobile phone numbers, is for emergency situations only. Nara Milanich, the chair of Barnard's history department, expressed her confusion over the legality of the school sharing her personal information and asserted that she wasn't even aware such a measure was permissible.
This notable breach of privacy has left the survey recipients feeling unsettled. The survey also requested specific information about when the respondents began working for the schools and their immediate supervisors. Employees were advised not to answer the survey during work hours or using company-supplied equipment. Nevertheless, they continue to grapple with the implications of sharing sensitive personal information, fearing that their emergency contacts and other confidential details might have also been shared unwittingly.
"Barnard seems willing to do anything to appease the current administration interference into our institution, telling us who to teach and how," said Debbie Becher.
Administrators and faculty have been vocal about their concern over the Trump administration's actions against perceived antisemitism on university campuses. In February 2017, Trump signed an executive order targeting antisemitism on college campuses, and Columbia University had been flagged for investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights in March 2023, as part of a group of 60 universities under potential enforcement actions for failing to protect Jewish students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The EEOC declined to comment on the surveys, citing the confidentiality requirements of ongoing investigations. Columbia refused to comment on the pending investigation, leaving many staff members and faculty questioning the transparency and collaboration within their institutions.
"There's a concerning dynamic in which administrators and faculty, who should be united in this critical moment, seem to lack unity in defending our college's values," says Nara Milanich. "We should be standing together to safeguard our institution, but the current scenario feels like a mismatch in this regard."
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Rene Marsh, Karina Tsui, and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
Enrichment Data:The investigation by the EEOC at Columbia University and Barnard College aims to ensure compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, particularly in regard to investigation into discriminatory practices and protection against national origin bias. This Act prohibits employment discrimination based on religious, ethnic, or national origin grounds. By relating to these aspects, the EEOC proceeds with scrutiny of potential discriminatory practices or antisemitism. Additionally, the EEOC has assured that respondents' information will remain confidential, except when required by law.
- The EEOC's investigation into discriminatory practices at Columbia University and Barnard College is being conducted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- The survey sent by the EEOC to staff members at Columbia and Barnard, probing into workplace practices, includes questions about Jewish, Israeli, Jewish ancestry, or Jewish faith.
- Respondents to the EEOC survey have been advised not to answer during work hours or using company-supplied equipment due to the sensitive nature of personal information being requested.
- debbie Becher, a Jewish associate professor at Barnard, expressed concern about receiving a government contact regarding significant matters through her personal device.
- administers at Columbia and Barnard College are facing criticism for perceived lack of transparency and collaboration in responding to the EEOC investigation, with some faculty members claiming they are appeasing the Trump administration's actions against perceived antisemitism on university campuses.
- Education-and-self-development, career-development, policy-and-legislation, general-news, politics, crime-and-justice, and war-and-conflicts are media categories that could potentially cover the ongoing EEOC investigation at Columbia and Barnard College.
