Three Columbia deans have resigned from the university three months after engaging in a text exchange that the university’s president said “touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.”

Susan Chang-Kim, the college’s vice dean and chief administrative officer; Cristen Kromm, the dean of undergraduate student life; and Matthew Patashnick, the associate dean for student and family support, are resigning, a university spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. They had been placed on indefinite leave in June as an investigation continued.

The three deans exchanged messages as they reacted to a panel discussion called “The Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future” on May 31. The panel came as the school wrestled for weeks with pro-Palestinian protests, which included an unauthorized encampment on campus with some protesters spreading antisemitic rhetoric. 

The Washington Free Beacon reported the incident in July. An attendee had taken a photo of one of the deans’ phones, which displayed disparaging messages regarding the panel discussion, including a vomit emoji. 

“Comes from such a place of privilege,” Chang-Kim wrote regarding the concerns of the Jewish students. “Trying to be open minded to understand but the doors are closing.”

Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik called the text exchange “unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community.” 

Shafik also said the messages “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.” 

A transcript of the text messages was evaluated by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has been investigating the spread of antisemitism on college campuses.

The text exchange also included the dean of Columbia College, Josef Sorett, who  at one point texted “LMAO” when Chang-Kim said Columbia’s Hillel director, the director of the school’s Jewish center, Brian Cohen was “our hero.”

Sorett sent an apology note following the incident. A petition with more than 2,000 signatures is circulating to have Sorett removed from his position, but it is more complicated given that he is a tenured professor.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

As tensions in the Middle East escalate, Columbia University is bracing for another wave of protests when the fall semester begins.

Just recently, pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized and released insects in the apartment building where the university’s chief operating officer, Cas Holloway, resides.