By Lauren Goldberg, Gunnar Wainwright, and Emily Muller

On November 1, more than 120 students from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) staged a protest to express solidarity with doxxed classmates and reaffirm their commitment to working with the administration to address student concerns. Approximately 30 students present joined the protest after walking out midway through “Inside the Situation Room,” a class taught by Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo.

Since Oct. 25, 15 SIPA students, who are leaders of student organizations that signed the “Joint Statement from Palestine Solidarity Groups at Columbia University” in response to the Israel-Hamas war, have been doxxed by a van stationed around Columbia's Morningside Heights campus. The van displays names and images of the students under the header “Columbia’s Leading Antisemites” and directs passersby to websites making similar accusations against these students.

Regarding allegations of hate speech, the students and faculty doxxed by the van state that they have not “been investigated, prosecuted or found guilty of such horrible actions.” 

Accuracy in Media, the organization responsible for sending the van, is led by Adam Guillette, former Vice President of Development at Project Veritas, a far-right activist group known for deceptive recording tactics. Accuracy in Media operates as a designated nonprofit with a reported revenue of 2.1 million dollars in 2021, but it does not publicly disclose its donors. On Nov. 2, Guillette was spotted on campus attempting to interview students. 

The presence of the van at Columbia is part of a wider pattern of doxxing incidents that have recently impacted Ivy League universities. Accuracy in Media has deployed a similar van at Harvard University since Oct. 12, targeting not only the Harvard campus but also the homes of its students. The University of Pennsylvania has also been a subject of their activities. In response to these incidents, student leaders who signed the “Joint Statement” held a meeting with Dean Yarhi-Milo on Oct. 13 to raise the potential doxxing threat at SIPA.

The doxxed students state that, according to Accuracy in Media's own acknowledgment, their names and photographs were acquired from the university platform CampusGroups. The Morningside Post has verified that CampusGroups, which presents itself as a "private community platform," permits individuals outside of the Columbia community to access organizational web pages through URLs and search engines. While student officer information can be hidden, the default setting is for it to be visible. In response to the doxxing incident, the Office of Student Affairs has restricted access to officer information for non-SIPA CampusGroups users.

An organizer of the protest, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that they viewed the walkout as "an opportunity to address critical concerns with the [SIPA] administration.” As outlined in the protest flier, walkout demands included timely and transparent communication, safeguarding freedom of speech, protecting the reputations of students and faculty who have been doxxed, investigating the data leaks on CampusGroups, upholding SIPA's fundamental values, and providing immediate legal assistance with a dedication to ensuring student safety.

"We are holding SIPA accountable because we care about it. We deeply care about everyone in this community, and we are urging SIPA to align with its stated ideals," mentioned another organizer, who also asked not to be identified.

After the official walkout concluded, Dean Yarhi-Milo, along with Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Tsuya Yee, addressed the crowd. Dean Yarhi-Milo stated, “Sometimes we learn as we go. Sometimes we make mistakes. I wanted to come back and tell you that we are here for you.” Following the conclusion of her remarks, a small group of students confronted the Dean, while others in the room shouted "shame" as she made her way back toward the elevators.

On Oct. 31, Dean Yarhi-Milo revealed the establishment of the "SIPA Task Force on Doxing and Student Safety," with Michael Nutter, a Columbia SIPA Professor and the former Mayor of Philadelphia, serving as the chair. According to the announcement, the task force's mandate is to “develop recommendations to prevent doxing, protect the identities and personal information of our students, and develop proposals to reduce tensions among various students and student organizations regarding controversial national or international events that affect our community in New York City.” Columbia University President Minouche Shafik also announced the establishment of a university-wide “Doxing Resource Group” on Nov. 1. 

More than one hundred Columbia professors from various schools within the University, including SIPA, have signed an open letter defending student groups’ statement on the Oct. 7 attacks and strongly denouncing the doxxing and harassment that students had subsequently experienced. The letter concludes by emphasizing that while not all signatories endorsed every claim within the students' statement, they recognized the merits of those claims as a legitimate foundation for political and legal debate. A similar letter was signed by over 1,100 alumni across Columbia schools.

However, not all faculty members share the same perspective. Another letter, signed by over 400 faculty members, including several at SIPA, was critical of the aforementioned faculty letter. In this reply, they condemned individuals who have attempted to "recontextualize" the Oct. 7 attacks by describing them as a "salvo," the "exercise of a right to resist" occupation, or as "military action."

In light of a rise in antisemitic incidents, including the discovery of a swastika on the 4th floor of Columbia University's International Affairs Building, an increasing number of Jewish students report feeling unsafe on campus. In response to these developments, President Shafik also announced the formation of a “Task Force on Antisemitism” on Nov. 1.

The timeline for the anticipated action by the task force remains uncertain. In an email obtained by The Morningside Post, a leader of the task force responded to a concerned student's inquiry, explaining, “unfortunately, our task force was formed less than 24 hours ago, and we don’t have any members yet other than the co-chairs [...] but we do want to begin our work soon.”

In a series of special cables, the SIPA Student Association (SIPASA) and student organization leaders have condemned the doxxing and hate speech that have gripped the school, and reiterated their commitment to “an environment that reflects our shared commitment to diversity and courtesy.”

Deris Nagara, the President of SIPASA, commented on the campus climate, stating, “We remain dedicated to working with all administrations and Columbia University to address student concerns and feel that we are working to foster and make a positive change in SIPA: a place, a home, a community, that we are deeply concerned and care about. SIPA students stand united.”

The photograph accompanying this article has been intentionally blurred at the request of students due to safety concerns.

Lauren Goldberg (MIA ‘25) is a Contributing Writer for The Morningside Post with a journalistic background as a production associate at ABC News. She is concentrating in International Security Policy. 

Gunnar Wainwright (MPA ‘24) is a Staff Writer for The Morningside Post. He is concentrating in International Security Policy and specializing in Technology, Media and Communication.

Emily Muller (MIA ‘24) is the Editor in Chief of The Morningside Post.