From: Ashish Sirohi

June 10, 2025

Via Email

To: 

Josh Gruenbaum
Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service
General Services Administration

Sean R. Keveney
Acting General Counsel
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Thomas E. Wheeler
Acting General Counsel
U.S. Department of Education 

Anthony F. Archeval
Acting Director, Office of Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Craig Trainor
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education

CC:

Acting President Claire Shipman
Columbia University

President Alan M. Garber
 Harvard University

BCC: 

Some people with possible interest

Dear Messrs. Gruenbaum, Keveney, Wheeler, Archeval and Trainor:

I attended Columbia University. I refer to your ongoing review of Harvard University and Columbia University, and had sent an email, included below, on April 30, 2025, on wider matters. In light of recent news and press releases, I would like to detail a specific and ongoing civil rights violation that has been occurring at Columbia University for decades. (These recent press releases mention additional US officials and they are being added to the April 30 list of recipients.)

A blacks-only lounge has continued to exist at Columbia University since 1970. That this is a continued clear violation of civil rights laws is further shown by recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education:

https://www.ed.gov/media/document/frequently-asked-questions-about-racial-preferences-and-stereotypes-under-title-vi-of-civil-rights-act-109530.pdf (Retrieved June 10, 2025)

Question 7: Can schools separate students by race if they treat all students equally?

Answer 7: Racial segregation is illegal. … Therefore, school-sponsored or school-endorsed racially segregated aspects of student, academic, and campus life, such as programming, graduation ceremonies and housing, are legally indefensible under the same “separate but equal” rationale that the Court rejected in Brown. In other words, these segregationist activities violate Title VI.

Columbia does not even practice the above “separate but equal” version but gives open preference to blacks over other minorities in that there has been a Blacks-only lounge for decades, but no Latinos-only or Asians-only lounge. This matter has come up many times over decades (some history below) but the Columbia administration has persistently chosen only one racial group for such privileged allocation. So it is not even a question of “Can schools separate students by race if they treat all students equally;” in this matter, the Columbia administration has not even attempted any equal treatment. Making this lounge in Hartley Hall to be blacks-only has been both “school-sponsored” and “school-endorsed.” 

The blacks-only lounge was created in 1970 after a demonstration and occupation. Black militants’ occupation of a space in Columbia’s Hartley Hall was declared “illegal” and as it went on there were continued warnings that charges would be brought against students if it did not end. It ended with a blacks-only lounge in Hartley Hall being granted to the militant activists by the Columbia administration, along with the decision not to pursue the violation of rules that had occurred. The “creation of the Malcolm X Lounge was followed by the authorization of a lounge for Asian students and a lounge for Latinx students,” but these, of course, were just typical empty Columbia talk of affirming that all groups would be treated equally, and never materialized. https://www.columbiaspectator.com/the-eye/2022/02/16/hartley-hospitality (Retrieved June 10, 2025)

A student chose to experience and document the race-based denial of entry into the blacks-only lounge, writing in a 1992 article: “I doubt that the administration would ever allow another organization to practice segregationist policies. … an all-black lounge is … an evident double standard … ‘I have a dream’ that one day blacks, whites, Asians and any other ethnic group will be allowed to enter the current Malcolm X lounge  … desegregation of the Malcolm X Lounge is an essential first step in our struggle for unity.” (https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs19921125-01.2.10&srpos=5&e, Retrieved June 10, 2025)

In February 2016, a Columbia College Student Council (CCSC) “committee created a proposal (https://www.scribd.com/doc/299376227/Issues-of-Race-and-Diversity, Retrieved June 10, 2025)” … which suggested opening the Malcom X lounge to non-black minority students. “The proposal was presented … to Dean of Columbia College James Valentini …” (https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/02/22/bso-challenges-ccsc-handling-race-and-diversity-issues/)

The above Scribd link states details of the proposal: 

“[A]ccess to Malcom X Lounge is quite limited … It may be more helpful to the campus community to have swipe access expanded for students of color who want it, while still retaining the ability to reserve the room for [black-students] events.”

Black Students’ Organization (BSO) board members thus stated their position, rejecting the CCSC proposal: “To push a proposal that insinuates that the council or [University] Senate has some authority over that [managing the Malcolm X Lounge], to even suggest that it be open to other students shows a complete lack of understanding as well as a lack of respect …” and “It’s our space that we own …” (https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/02/22/bso-challenges-ccsc-handling-race-and-diversity-issues/)

While bowing the BSO declaration that the lounge will remain blacks-only, as part of its explanation for its actions the council noted: “The idea, which BSO objected to … that the Malcolm X Lounge be made accessible to more students of color was based on responses to our school-wide survey in which some students of color suggested that the Malcolm X Lounge be more accessible …”  (https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/02/23/ccsc-issues-formal-apology-diversity-proposal-blunders/)

Columbia officials remained quiet and indifferent to BSO’s declarations that seemingly aim to have the Malcolm X lounge remain blacks-only forever. Above is just another example of Columbia turning away from the reasonable wishes of equal rights for groups that were expressed by Columbia’s own students in such above “school-wide survey,” which includes suggestions from “students of color.”

Minority student groups at Columbia allow students of all races to attend their events; blacks are the exception to this, with their events commonly held at the Malcolm X lounge where entry of students of other races is prohibited.

The Columbia administration itself has played a role as a cause of these inconsistencies and problems. Militant black student leaders know that the Columbia administration uses racial biases and calculations in enforcement of its rules and policies, and that it hesitates to apply these against militant black leaders and their wishes. This has served as the green signal that makes such leaders of black student organizations assert power over fellow students of other races and violate their rights.  

Only strong penalties or threats of these can make the Columbia administration abandon their decades-long racial calculus which has nurtured and maintained the concept of a blacks-only lounge.

I have put a copy of this letter on my https://churchofphysics.org website.

Thanks and regards,

Ashish Sirohi

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