Dean’s Message

Concerns about doxing and hate speech on campus

Posted Oct 27 2023

Dear SIPA Students,

It has been three weeks since the October 7 terrorist attacks. This is a human tragedy that has deeply affected so many on our campus. We have seen over a thousand Israeli fatalities and more than 200 were kidnapped to Gaza including women, children, and disabled persons. Israel's subsequent military action in Gaza, targeted at eradicating the Hamas threat, has resulted in thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths. Like everyone in the SIPA community, we mourn the loss of all lives.

As I mentioned when the conflict erupted, at SIPA it is our responsibility to exemplify how to think and act during emotional and rapidly unfolding events. This includes showcasing compassion, sensitivity, and empathy for those who are suffering. It also requires engaging in civil discussions with those who perceive these events differently.

Today I write to share how deeply disturbed I am to see that students and faculty from the Columbia and Barnard communities — including some at SIPA — have recently been subjected to doxing campaigns. Doxing is a form of online harassment in which individuals’ names, addresses, and other identifying information are publicly exposed without their consent. This malicious activity, including the placement of trucks that circulate around our campus displaying pictures and names of our students, is aimed at intimidating our affiliates and sowing division within our community during a time already fraught with heavy emotion and political fervor. We unequivocally condemn such actions. See below for more information and guidance.

I am also appalled to see antisemitism and Islamophobic rhetoric manifest in SIPA’s hallways and on campus.

As a community of future leaders and the world’s most global public policy school, we need to recognize that the October 7 massacre was the largest single one-day killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust. It is simply unacceptable for some members of our community to justify, much less celebrate, the deliberate murder of innocent civilians —, and effectively call for Jews to be eliminated “from the river to the sea.” I have seen both signs and correspondence between students that are extremely hateful and very disturbing.

I am also alarmed by anti-Palestinian rhetoric heard on and off campus. Grouping all Palestinians with Hamas and using dehumanizing language toward Arabs and the people of Gaza is reprehensible.

Any affiliate who sees or is subject to violence, harassment, intimidation, or hate speech should report it; I assure you that the perpetrators will be disciplined.

For those who feel unsafe, please know we are doing everything we can to make sure our campus is safe and secure. We are in active and ongoing communication with University leadership and the Department of Public Safety; furthermore, know that Public Safety is liaising with the NYPD. It is important to understand that the University does not have jurisdiction over municipal parking spots, sidewalks, or roadways. While the NYPD cannot require vehicles to leave public streets, they can force trucks to move if they are double-parked or obstructing pedestrian crossings. If you come across illegally parked trucks, we strongly urge you to call 311.

Recent Doxing Activity on Campus

I want to share some guidance and immediate actions that the School is taking to support students and address these harmful activities and the pain they cause:

  • Any Columbia University student who has been doxed should report it immediately to Columbia Public Safety.  You can also alert the University by filing a report.  When applicable, we have, and will continue to, refer these cases to external authorities. Columbia has additional doxing resources here.
  • Dean Tsuya Yee of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) has set up a daily information session for impacted students to share updates and resources.
  • When requested, we are removing/have removed personal information from the CU directory, Campus Groups and other online domains belonging to SIPA/Columbia.
  • The HRHP Concentration and OSA are organizing training on your legal rights and how to protect yourself from doxing.
  • Dean Yee will be participating in a University working group focused on supporting impacted community members and doxing safety concerns.
  • A newly published University webpage offers resources for the community during times of crisis. In addition, the University is assembling additional support and resources to assist members of our community who are victims of doxing and will share those as soon as possible.

To be clear, any Columbia affiliate found to be involved in doxing a fellow community member will face University disciplinary action. If you possess information related to this, I urge you to report it to OSA or Public Safety. Rest assured, it will be thoroughly investigated.

I wish to conclude by emphasizing the incredible resilience and solidarity SIPA students are displaying toward one another. I’m also cognizant of the proactive steps SIPASA is taking to support students, making community assistance a top priority. Over the past three weeks, I have met individually with campus groups, victims, and members of the SIPA community on both sides affected by the crisis. The dean of students has been meeting with them as well on a frequent basis. We have organized webinars to bring in fresh analytical and policy perspectives and to help our community make sense of this evolving crisis. And we will continue to host dialogues and discussions with students and listen to groups so that we can emerge from this crisis stronger and more united as a community.

If you require assistance from SIPA or have suggestions on how we can further aid our community members, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our leadership team, specifically Associate Dean for Student Affairs Tsuya Yee ([email protected]). I want to express my gratitude to everyone for their support, and for the solidarity shown to our fellow SIPA community members.

Thank you.

Keren Yarhi-Milo

Dean, School of International and Public Affairs

Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations

Columbia University

New York, NY

Columbia Resources

All SIPA students should take a moment to review what personal information about you exists online, including photos. The resources below provide information on how to protect your personal information.

Doxing Resources