Columbia University expressed regret and apologized for an astronomy lab that contained pro-Palestinain sentiments in it, while both the school and professor did not respond to requests for comment by The Center Square.
“A graduate student serving as a teaching assistant in our Astronomy department was found to have inserted political views within the lab notes for a class session, in violation of University policy and specific Department guidance,” Columbia said in a statement.
“We regret that this unacceptable breach of policy took place and apologize to the students enrolled in the class,” the school said.
“The violation is being addressed through the University’s processes, and we are implementing additional review procedures,” the school said.
The lab in question was Astronomy Lab I, taught by professor Greg Bryan, student newspaper the Columbia Spectator reported.
When asked twice for comment, Bryan did not respond.
The Columbia Spectator asserted that Bryan “did not see the lab notes in advance.” Indeed, Bryan’s research interests do not mention anything related to Palestine, but instead are listed on his school bio as Galaxies & the ISM, Cosmology & Large Scale Structure Simulations, Stars, and Theory.
The Spectator reported that it obtained the lab notes from Astronomy Lab I wherein a unit entitled “Astronomy in Palestine” was present, which in turn prompted Columbia’s apology.
“The lab notes read that students should ‘understand the privileges’ of being able to study astronomy without ‘worrying about being caught in an airstrike,’ the Spectator reported.
“As we watch genocide unfold in Gaza, it is also important to tell the story of Palestinians outside of being the subjects of a military occupation,” the lab notes stated, according to the Spectator.
Additionally, the lab notes instruct students to “take 15 minutes or so to read through the articles ‘Wonder and the Life of Palestinian Astronomy’ and ‘In Gaza, Scanning the Sky for Stars, Not Drones.’ Remind yourself that our dreams, our wonders, our aspirations…are not any more worthy,” according to the Spectator.
Astronomy Lab I, itself, exists to provide projects for students including “observations with the departments telescopes, computer simulation, laboratory experiments in spectroscopy, and the analysis of astronomical data,” according to its description.
When asked twice each for comment, neither Columbia’s Office of Public Affairs nor vice president of communications Virginia Lam Abrams responded.
The astronomy lab’s “breach of policy” comes after the 2023-2024 school year of tumult in higher education nationwide, due to pro-Palestinian protests, encampments, and violent acts on campuses across America.
