tNew York City is often referred to as the “melting pot” of the many nationalities and cultures that make America such a diverse nation. This diversity, enriches the quality of life in America, and is one of the basic building blocks of the American dream. Columbia University, whose historic Morningside Heights campus is located in the heart of Harlem, epitomizes this cultural coming together, with over 450 different student groups with religious/social concerns. Columbia University President, Lee Bollinger, has been an advocate of tolerant use of First Amendment rights, authoring The Tolerant Society, Images of a Free Press.
All of this makes the latest happenings at Columbia University all the more troubling.
On the September 26th, 2007 the following message was scrawled on the wall of a bathroom in the International Affairs Building “Attention You pinko Commie Motherfuckers and Arab Towelheads: America will wake up one day and Nuke Mecca, Medina, Tehran, Baghdad, Jakarta, and all the savages in Africa. You will all be fucked! America is for White Europeans."
This came in light of the University’s decision to invite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak before the University’s Student Body at the Roone Arledge Auditorium. Lee Bollinger introduced Ahmadinejad with the most caustic of remarks, going as far as saying that Ahmadinejad “exhibit[s] all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.”
In a very reserved and professional manner, Ahmadinejad replied “I think the authorities and officials of the university should practice a little more listening to other points of view and listen to things they don’t like to hear.”
Americans are proud of their freedom of speech, exercise this franchise more than any other, and use it to justify their speech—except for speech they hate.
A consortium of seven Iranian Universities issued this statement “Such an insult, in a scholarly atmosphere, to the president of a country with ... a recorded history of 7,000 years of civilization and culture is deeply shameful.”
Bollinger continued his inflammatory remarks by suggesting that “Ahmadinejad lacks courage to answer questions”.
The David Project, a center for Jewish leadership that allegedly promotes a fair and honest understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict, insinuated that Columbia professors discriminated against Israeli students or those who defended Israel’s right to exist.
These remarks were based on a biased report by a biased committee which ignored the facts to protect its own. Despite an absolute lack of concrete evidence, Bollinger sought to concretely supporrt the matter. And why wouldn’t he, their position fell right in line with his. The Zionist Propaganda against Iran proved to be the driving force that “justified” Bollinger’s remarks.
This anti-Semitic sentiment was not the first time Bollinger has directly experienced his racist views. In 2003, Bollinger made headlines as defendant in the Supreme Court Case Gratz v. Bollinger. The court found by a 6-3 margin in that the undergraduate admissions policies of Michigan were not narrowly tailored to a compelling interest in diversity, but rather designed to artificially restrict the number of applicants of certain racial backgrounds, particularly students of Asian background (Middle Eastern, Oriental, Sub-Continental etc.) This was in clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
On the surface, Bollinger is the compassionate man, concerned about the well being of others. In response “Jena at Columbia”, the placement of a hanging noose in front of the door of an African-American professor, Bollinger said in a prepared statement, “This is an assault on African Americans and therefore it is an assault on every one of us. I know I speak on behalf of every member of our communities in condemning this horrible action. I also want to express our full support of Teachers College and President Susan Furhman in dealing with this matter.”
Yet when push has come to shove, particularly in the case of the building of the Manhattanville Campus, Bollinger's anti-Afro sentiments take center stage. Columbia University is currently in the works of constructing a new campus in the West Harlem neighborhood of Manhattanville. Any time large-scale construction efforts are undertaken on a community with the socioeconomic make-up of Manhattanville, there will be severe ramifications. The most significant of these is the complete deletion of land set aside for affordable housing. Additionally, the proposed buildings are glass encased high rise buildings designed by Renzo Piano. In today’s world, glass is the material of power and “transparency” does not equal inclusion. Rather, it further contributes to the “campus fortress effect”. Furthermore, Columbia states that it is only willing to preserve two National Register Landmark buildings in the expansion zone, while the twelve other buildings of similar classification are set to be bulldozed.
Among the facilities to be built is a state-of-the-art BioTech Level Three Lab. Biotech Labs are rated on a scale of 1 to 4 with Level Four labs being the most dangerous. Columbia has gone forth with the building of the lab despite the threat of transmitting potentially lethal diseases to the neighboring communities via pollution of the airways. Columbia University has a poor safety record. It was fined $792,029 in 2002 by the U.S. Environmental Protection A gency for violations involving improper storage and disposal of toxic waste and faulty emergency plans.
This lethal biohazard, in addition to the loss of local jobs, and destruction of the history of a neighborhood born out of the culturally rich Harlem Renaissance has stirred up a whirlwind of protest. In blatant disregard to obvious community concern, Bollinger has repeatedly stated that the community’s opposition is confined to a small and vocal minority. This is over course, completely ignorant of the Community Board’s 32-2 vote against Columbia’s plan.
Bollinger’s approach is based on the discredited Bob Moses type of development that is achieved only through the destruction of the existing community. Why cant’ there be a genuine partnership between with so much to offer, and a vibrant, diverse community with a rich history of inclusiveness and creativity? Why must it be campus or community? Bollinger’s eviction-based, eminent domain driven plan seeks to eliminate a predominantly Afro-Hispanic working class community.
Up until now, Bollinger has managed to cower behind his Board of Trustees; he has been able to justify his actions as “for the greater good” of the University and its Community. But between a mangled PR debacle with the African-American community over the Manhattanville campus and a consistent stance of siding with the radical views of Zionist Project David (and by extension, the existence of Israel) even in the face of overwhelming evidence in the opposite direction, it is clear that Columbia University President Lee Bollinger is nothing more than a racist hypocrite, a man whose ideals have less backbone than a chocolate éclair.
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