Overview
- Speaking on Dec. 12 during a University Senate session held via Zoom, Mamdani compared the task force’s approach to British colonial 'divide and rule,' saying it fragments campus constituencies.
- He acknowledged he had not read the task force’s fourth and final report released on Dec. 9 and suggested replacing single-issue panels with a broader anti-discrimination body.
- Multiple attendees confirmed his remarks, and a third attendee said an unofficial transcript matched personal notes verbatim.
- A Columbia spokesperson said Shipman seeks input from a range of voices and described listening to differing views as a hallmark of good leadership.
- Mamdani, a scholar of colonialism and decolonization, is the father of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a link noted in coverage that revisited the professor’s past controversial writings.