A Letter to Columbia University Written by Alumni Jan Arthur Swartz, MD
Three generations of my family have graduated from Columbia College. The education foundation that I acquired and the intellectual growth I witnessed in my children during and subsequent to our times on Morningside Heights have been altogether remarkable.
That said, your insufficient response to campus demonstrations and professorial support for mass murder in Israel has had an impact on our decisions about financial support for Columbia. Going forward we will no longer be annual contributors to what was our highly esteemed, beloved alma mater. So long as Professor Massad remains associated with our College and so long as our administration that conflates unrestrained free speech in support of terrorism and proper goals about diversity equity and inclusion remains in place, you may not anticipate our continued support.
Some people have suggested than annual $1 donation would be a better idea – it would cost more to deal with the paperwork than the value of the buck and it might be a better reminder of a prior donor’s sentiment.