They ALL need to go

City Council members rightly criticized CUNY Chancellor Félix Matós Rodríguez on Monday for his inadequate testimony on campus antisemitism, highlighting the need for new leadership at City University.

Members Eric Dinowitz, Kalman Yeger, Inna Vernikov, and Julie Menin all expressed disappointment over the chancellor’s inability to address Judge Jonathan Lippman’s report, which recommended a complete overhaul of the school’s system for reporting antisemitism.

Matós Rodríguez and his deputies were unable to provide information on the number of complaints received or the most common type of anti-Jewish discrimination reported. When asked about disciplinary actions taken against faculty or students for antisemitic behavior, the chancellor responded, “I don’t know.”

His proposed solution to prevent future harassment and intimidation was to promote “dialogue,” without offering concrete examples of actions taken to protect Jewish students since October 7, 2023.

During the hearing, Council Member Menin criticized the chancellor for being unable to answer basic questions on such an important topic, calling it “outrageous.” The lack of preparedness from the administration raised concerns about their ability to address issues of Jew-hate on campus.

Despite requesting additional resources to handle complaints more efficiently, CUNY, a $4.2 billion enterprise, has only received $500,000 from the council to combat campus hate, as noted by Council Member Yeger.

The chancellor’s failure to stay for later testimony from Jewish students and evidence implicating CUNY faculty in antisemitism further underscored the need for new leadership at the institution.

It is imperative for Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams to appoint better trustees for CUNY to address the systemic issues of hate on campus and prevent further deterioration of the university’s reputation.