Very upsetting to read for someone who is a Columbia College alum educated on great books of Western Canon. However, to put things in perspective, these debates happen every year, and Core Curriculum is still there. This is going to be a generation-long struggle, and I am doing my part in defending the Core (all my alum contributions are designated to go to the Core, and I speak most highly of it during the admissions interviews I get to conduct as an alum; no kid who spews nonsense about Dead White Males would get a pass from me). I would not write off Columbia students though...
Good work. Keep it up.
FYI my one and only knowing interaction with a Columbia alumni was in 1980 taking an English class at Georgia Tech. The professor looked like a grey haired Van Dyke and wore sandals, turtlenecks and loose fitting non jeans pants. He also wore a copper bracelet.
He hated me because I was a baby killing veteran. Gave me an F on everything up until drop day, at which time I did. The next class in the next quarter under another professor I got an A.
[I graduated from there 13 quarters later with a BSEE. Deans list the whole way with a 3/2/4.0 cumulative GPA.]