Trump Administration Texted College Professors’ Personal Phones to Ask If They’re Jewish

Several professors at Barnard College received text messages on Monday notifying them that a federal agency was reviewing the college s employment practices according to copies of the messages reviewed by The Intercept The messages sent to several professors personal cellphones questioned them to complete a voluntary survey about their employment The survey from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC urged questions including whether respondents were Jewish or Israeli whether they had been subjected to antisemitism and whether they were subject to unwelcome discussions graffiti or signs depicting antisemitic messages or images unwelcome comments jokes or discussions or pressure to abandon change or adopt a practice or religious belief The survey also questioned whether respondents had announced any such events to the college In an email to faculty on Monday evening the general counsel at Barnard a women s college affiliated with Columbia University commented the school had received multiple reports about the EEOC texts Barnard was not given advance notice of this outreach Barnard vice president and general counsel Serena Longley wrote in an email obtained by The Intercept If you choose to respond please know that both federal law and Barnard plan strictly prohibit any form of retaliation Neither the EEOC nor Barnard straightaway responded to requests for comment The post Trump Administration Texted College Professors Personal Phones to Ask If They re Jewish appeared first on The Intercept