Echoing concerns at Cornell, Jewish students at Columbia University say they're experiencing antisemitism
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Cornell University on Monday after graphic antisemitic threats were posted online over the weekend.
The governor said state police are stepping up security at college campuses across the state.
Jewish students at Columbia University spoke out as well, saying they, too, feel unsafe.
On Sunday at Cornell, the FBI was called to investigate the messages posted online as graphic threats of murder, sexual violence and comparison to animals.
At one point, students and staff were asked to avoid the school's Center for Jewish Living out of an abundance of caution.
Watch Lisa Rozner's report
On Monday at Columbia, senior Noa Fay joined other Jewish students in demanding the university do more about antisemitism there as well.
"We have students on our campus calling out by name explicitly, that they want certain students on this campus to die slowly," Fay said.
"I don't feel safe. Someone had to make a group chat to escort Jewish students on campus," student Jessie Brenner added.
READ MORE: FBI investigating antisemitic threats against Jewish community at Cornell University
The NYPD confirmed that a swastika was found on a bathroom wall on Friday. Student Eli Shmidman said someone recently shouted an expletive at him as he walked into a campus building.
"He said (expletive) the Jews," Shmidman said.
"I've seen them parrot foul antisemitic tropes. I've seen them label visibly Muslim students as terrorists," said Yoni Kurtz, a junior from Hollywood, Florida.
On Monday, after meeting with students at Cornell, Gov. Hochul said she would not tolerate any kind of hatred that makes people feel vulnerable.
"State police have ramped up security on college campuses since Oct. 7, and we are going to continue to do so. Our intelligence center has been beefing up the monitoring of social media," Hochul said.
Watch Naveen Dhaliwal's report
Brooklyn College students noticed the changes.
"There have barricades set up at points. It's a lot getting class to class," student Chelsea Blaney said.
"Now they are being more stricter for IDs. They have to double check us before going in," Angie Lion added.
Students at Columbia told CBS New York while they appreciate the governor's response, it is not enough.
"There's many more steps that need to be taken that are not just or even physical police presence. This is a cultural problem. This is an issue that goes far deeper than short term," Kurtz said. "The university's response has not been action, but empty statements."
Students say they've asked the university to clarify and enforce policies for identity-based bigotry, invest more resources to support victims, and publicly condemn Hamas.
A Columbia spokesperson said, in part, "Antisemitism or any other form of hate are antithetical to Columbia's values ... It will not be tolerated. We are using every available tool to keep our community safe."
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced new action to combat antisemitic incidents on campuses. The White House, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security are working with campus law enforcement and state and local officials to address the threats and share information about available resources.
