In a stunning display of irony and contradiction that borders on the absurd, an associate dean tasked with upholding gender equality at Columbia University cut off and muted a fellow professor during a faculty senate meeting earlier this month when the latter professor warned her colleagues that the Ivy League school had been infiltrated by outsiders with “known ties to terrorist organizations.”
And yes, these are groups that literally support terrorists and who are known for their oppressive attitudes towards women.
The irony of a gender equality dean silencing warnings about groups with known oppressive attitudes towards women was not lost on anyone who observed the incident, which took place via Zoom on May 3, mere hours after Hamilton Hall was overrun by a mob of Hamas-supporting students.
NEW from me
A meeting of the Columbia University faculty Senate was derailed after a professor warned that terrorists had infiltrated the campus https://t.co/GwnmeYk86m pic.twitter.com/foUlLnmhGZ
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) May 11, 2024
“I do want to emphasize that there really is a need for good security on campus and it was very clear prior to Tuesday night that the university was unable to do that given the number of people from outside who were able to pass through our tight security to get onto campus,” Professor Carol Ewing Garber said.
Seconds into her remarks, Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Career Development Jeanine D’Armiento began to cut Garber off. But not before Garber was able to say, “and we do know that there are groups who are supporting terrorists,” according to coverage of the incident by the New York Post.
Instead of addressing these serious allegations, D’Armiento responded by silencing Garber, muted her microphone, dismissed her concerns, and claimed they “have no evidence” of what Garber said.
The Senate meeting then descended into chaos, reflecting deep divisions within the faculty about the handling of such sensitive issues, as other faculty members came to Garber’s defense.
Mind you, these groups that Garber was referring to, beyond their political impact, are known for practices that violently oppress women—actions that should naturally concern anyone dedicated to gender equity.
Yet, when Garber attempted to bring these legitimate security concerns to light, D’Armiento interrupted and muted her, dismissing these concerns due to an alleged lack of evidence and deemed the discussion “unfair.”
Moments after D’Armiento was shut down by fellow faculty, Garber was able to emphasize the need for a thorough investigation into these groups and to, once again, factually point out that “there is evidence that there are groups who are influencing student groups on campus in this country… to behave in certain ways. And there is evidence about those things… And many individuals feel afraid because of that.”
D’Armiento’s response to silence Garber not only raises questions about the role and effectiveness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion positions but also starkly highlights the contradictions inherent in a gender equity dean dismissing concerns about groups known for gender-based violence.
This could potentially make her the absolutely worst “Dean of Gender Equality” in the history of education.
Furthermore, D’Armiento’s management of the meeting, where she repeatedly asserted “this is my meeting,” only added to the tumult, displaying a troubling approach to governance and dialogue within the university.
This event has ignited a broader discussion on campus about the actions of anti-Israel protesters and the response of the university’s administration, which has been seen as feeble and not doing nearly enough.
In fact, Columbia University groveled to the woke mob and even canceled its main commencement ceremony, scheduled for May 15 in New York City, due to security concerns amid ongoing anti-Israel protests.
The atmosphere at Columbia remains both charged and toxic, as evidenced by subsequent events, including a controversial campus appearance by individuals linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — a group widely recognized as a terrorist organization.
These developments have only intensified the scrutiny on Columbia’s handling of security and ideological conflicts on campus.
The Zoom incident also underscores the critical need for DEI roles to not only enforce policies but to do so in a manner that genuinely upholds the values of equity and justice they are meant to champion.
With her comments, D’Armiento revealed the truth about DEI positions like hers — they exist not to help minorities but to rigidly enforce whatever the latest leftist orthodoxy or shibboleth happens to be. After all, a genuine advocate for gender equality would not dismiss concerns about entities that perpetuate severe human rights abuses.
And they certainly wouldn’t run interference for those supporting roving packs of sexual abusers (or worse) and silence such a debate.
The Western Journal has asked D’Armiento if she believes running interference for those supporting what amounts to violent rape gang, among other things, on Oct. 7 promotes gender equality. As of publication, she has not responded to our question.
To think, this is what tuition dollars are going to support: a “Dean of Gender Equality” who runs interference for terrorists who brutally tortured women on Oct. 7 and afterward.
The irony of a gender equality dean, tasked with protecting the vulnerable, potentially disregarding the implications of hosting groups on campus that have been infiltrated by entities with oppressive ideologies towards women, should prompt a reevaluation of how DEI initiatives are implemented and perceived in academic settings.
If this pattern of neglect and complicity continues unchecked, America must confront a stark reality: The very institutions meant to foster a just and safe environment are failing in their duty.
Should this persist, unchecked by rigorous oversight and genuine commitment to upholding the principles of equity and justice, the consequences could prove dire for the safety and moral integrity of not just universities, but the nation itself.
The peril of these oversights and explicit interference lies not just in the immediate threats they present, but in the insidious decay of our nation’s foundational values, putting America’s future in grave danger for generations to come.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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