Ad Hoc Grievance Committee Report
Ira Katznelson, Chair; Lisa Anderson; Farah Griffin; Jean E. Howard; and Mark Mazower, March 28, 2005

In December 2004 Columbia University President Lee Bollinger and Vice President Nick Dirks agreed to create an Ad Hoc Grievance Committee. This committee was to consider accusations of “pedagogical intimidation or the failure to create a civil learning environment” lodged by Columbia students against a selection of professors in Columbia’s Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) Department. The appointed committee was comprised of five Columbia faculty members who convened for a period of nine weeks, in which they met with 62 individuals and looked over more than 60 written submissions. This document, the Committee’s final report, outlines the Committee’s activities, puts forth a set of proposals for the reform of Columbia’s grievance mechanisms, and lays out the Committee’s conclusions regarding the allegations. The creation of this committee was prompted by not only student accusations, but by the release of the David Project-sponsored film, “Columbia Unbecoming”, which highlights numerous related accusations, as well as by the subsequent attention the situation received both from the press and from external interest groups. The Committee also addresses these factors in the report. (back to academic freedom)