Every single one of them must leave

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

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

Matós Rodríguez and his team were unable to provide details on the number of complaints made or the most common type of anti-Jewish discrimination reported. They also couldn’t say if any faculty or students had been disciplined for antisemitic behavior.

When asked about preventing future harassment and intimidation, Matós Rodríguez suggested promoting dialogue but couldn’t give specific examples of actions taken to protect Jewish students since October 7, 2023.

Members of the City Council criticized the administrators for being ill-prepared and not reading the entire Lippmann report, despite being allocated resources to combat campus hate.

Yeger pointed out that CUNY is a $4.2 billion enterprise and has received $500,000 from the council to address campus hate, making the lack of preparedness even more unacceptable.

The chancellor’s lack of engagement with later testimonies from Jewish students about campus antisemitism and the faculty’s involvement in the problem further underscored the need for new leadership at CUNY.

It is imperative that Matós Rodríguez and the board overseeing him are held accountable for their failure to address campus hate effectively.

Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams must take action to appoint better trustees to address the systemic issues within CUNY and prevent further neglect of campus safety and inclusivity.