CUNY needs overhaul to combat alarming antisemitism fueled by profs, do-nothing higher-ups: damning state probe

CUNY needs a top-to-bottom overhaul to combat “alarming’’ antisemitism fanned by its own faculty and do-nothing higher-ups, according to a damning independent probe commissioned by Gov.Kathy Hochul.“I feel compelled to note that recently there has been an alarming number of unacceptable antisemitic incidents targeting members of the CUNY community,” widely respected retired state Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said in a letter to Hochul accompanying Tuesday’s release of the stinging findings after a 10-month review. “So many people do not feel safe on campuses and that’s at the heart of the problem.”Some City University of New York campus presidents and faculty are part of the problem for aiding or not cracking down on the hatred for Jewish people at the massive public university system, according to the sweeping, 146-page analysis.The blistering report, prepared for the state pro bono by Lippman and associates at his law firm Latham and Watkin, calls out professors — though not by name — for fanning the flames of divisiveness and hatred instead of defusing tensions and encouraging peaceful dialogue.“Some faculty stir the pot,” Lippman told The Post.He said professors have free-speech rights but emphasized in the report that they can do more to promote dialogue “rather than inflame conflict, which we often found to be the case.”CUNY consists of 25 institutions including 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, a graduate center, a law school and other programs.The public university’s college presidents also came under fire for weak leadership in combating the hatred because they were more concerned about their campus’s reputation.The report found some of CUNY’s college presidents were “hesitant” to employ uniformed officers to handle potentially violent protests and protect students “because they believed doing so would likely result in bad publicity.“That is unacceptable,” Lippman said in the report.The study cal...