Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft argued that "radical professors" at Columbia University are "poisoning young minds" in an opinion article he wrote, which was published Wednesday in the New York Post.
The article published the same day that Columbia University pushed off a deadline for negotiations with the leaders of the anti-Israel encampment on campus, tells of Kraft's time as a student there when he received a full academic scholarship.
He said that it allowed him "to grow, learn, and be successful" as he "set out into the world." He described the professors at the time as having "encouraged students to cultivate independent thought and the ability to engage critically with diverse viewpoints."
He said that this poses a stark contrast to the professors at the university today. Indeed, he explains that while the focus has largely been on the student body among those protesting and situated in the anti-Israel encampment, "the students have been taught and empowered by faculty more focused on politics than they are on education."
He repeated some of the horrific antisemitic sentiments expressed at these protests, including calls for Jews to return to Poland and chants calling to kill Jews, and he said, "I do not recognize my alma mater."
Kraft highlighted that the professors that had joined the protests "use the classroom and the campus as a bully pulpit to promote their personal political viewpoints as opposed to fostering critical thinking — they preach eliminationist rhetoric championed by unchecked and dangerous activist groups."
Jewish students left fearful on campus
Kraft, who founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019, highlighted the fear that has struck Jewish students on campus.
While Kraft insisted that freedom of speech is crucial and that it is an important principle to him, he noted that freedom of speech "is not calling for physical violence with your face hidden behind masks and coverings — that’s cowardice."
Finally, he highlighted the fact that if the presidents or the boards of the universities do not hold students accountable for breaking their codes of conduct—and, indeed, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik confirmed last week that calling for violence against Jews goes against the university's code of conduct—then the university is teaching its students that there is no accountability for their actions.
He called for the universities, then, to "start stripping tenure" away from professors who encourage and attend these anti-Israel events, "regardless of the legal fights they may face... The job of administrators is to manage the faculty, not to stand idly by as their campuses are taken over by a minority of students or to compromise with or negotiate with those violating the rules.
He also noted, "In an era marked by a growing divisiveness across the country, colleges and universities should not be breeding grounds for hate and polarization. Rather, colleges and universities — places that allow for exposure to diverse cultures, experiences, and viewpoints — have a unique opportunity to promote and cultivate understanding and respect for one another."
Indeed, Kraft announced that he is ceasing his donations to his alma mater earlier this week, stating that he is "no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff."