Jessica Costescu writes for the Washington Free Beacon about a disturbing development on an Ivy League campus.
Columbia-Barnard Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), a recognized student group, says it is working “to plan actions and liaise with Columbia University Apartheid Divest [CUAD],” the student organization that wished “death to America” after President Donald Trump initiated military operations against Iran last month and that organized the anti-Israel encampment that fomented chaos on campus in 2024. That appears to violate the Ivy League school’s “zero tolerance” policy toward CUAD—and its recent claim that no recognized groups are affiliated with it.
Columbia touted that policy in a March 1 statement, saying that “last year the University took the step of requiring all recognized student groups, including those who had previously affiliated with ‘CUAD’ … to acknowledge and comply with the University’s Zero Tolerance policy in order to retain their official recognition.”
“All currently recognized student groups have no affiliation with the group that calls itself ‘CUAD,’” Columbia said. “The University stands by its Zero Tolerance policy.” The statement came after CUAD posted “Death to America” in Persian in the wake of President Donald Trump’s opening salvo of strikes on Iran.
YDSA’s official Columbia webpage, however, includes a link to an interest form that says the group coordinates with other banned “leftist groups”—Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)—to “plan actions and liaise with Columbia University Apartheid Divest.” The form says it’s for the 2024-2025 school year, but YDSA included a link to it in an August 19 Instagram post.
The YDSA form and subsequent post undercut Columbia’s claim that no recognized student groups are affiliated with CUAD—and could land YDSA in hot water with the Ivy League school.
A Columbia spokesman said the university is “investigating reports that this student group violated our policy” and reiterated that recognized student groups must comply with its zero tolerance policy.
