In an email sent to all Columbia University students on Friday night, President Lee Bollinger wrote “I join everyone in mourning the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was also one of our most cherished alumnae and faculty colleagues.” The email continued “Although Justice Ginsburg may have begun law school at Harvard and only transferred to Columbia to accommodate her husband’s new job, her diploma says ‘Columbia’ so we get to claim her as an alumna.”
When asked about his email, President Bollinger reiterated “I don’t like to think of it as ‘Justice Ginsburg’s first choice was Harvard and Columbia didn’t make the original cut.’ I prefer ‘Justice Ginsburg ditched Harvard to study at the prestigious Columbia Law School.’”
Bollinger concluded his interview with the Fed by revealing that Columbia plans on using Justice Ginsburg’s decision to leave Harvard to entice high school seniors to apply to Columbia. “We want them to know that when their early application to Harvard gets rejected, we’re here to accept their regular decision application with open arms. If Justice Ginsburg can turn her back on Harvard, so can you.”
