The noose found on Teachers College Professor Madonna Constantine’s office door in October is up for a new round of close scrutiny in light of reports this week that a state grand jury has subpoenaed the school’s records concerning Constantine in an investigation of the noose.
Marcia Horowitz, a spokesperson hired to speak on TC’s behalf regarding the Constantine case, confirmed that the college received a subpoena and was complying with it. Horowitz would not discuss specifics of the subpoena or the progress of the investigation.
The convening of the grand jury—a jury that determines whether evidence is sufficient for a trial and has the power to issue indictments—was first reported in the New York Post on Monday.
Though it is unknown whom the grand jury plans to indict, according to the Post, “sources” have suggested that the subpoena implies that the investigation suspects a friend of Constantine hung the noose on her door to stir waves of sympathy. Yet, in the Post, Constantine dismissed the notion that a friend would stage the racially charged incident.
Representatives from the New York Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force said in an October press conference that Constantine was not considered suspect in the noose case. Despite fingerprint testing and the reviewing of security videotapes, the police have yet to identify a suspect.
The day after the noose was discovered, Constantine, a counseling and clinical psychology professor, was met with cheers of support by a crowd gathered outside Zankel Hall. “I’m upset that our community was exposed to such an overwhelmingly blatant act of racism,” Constantine said at the time. “Hanging a noose on my door reeks of cowardice on many, many levels.” Constantine thanked those present for the “overwhelming support” in light of the “heinous and highly upsetting incident.”
“I share your shock and outrage. This is an abhorrent act,” TC President Susan Fuhrman had told the assembled crowd. New York State Senator Bill Perkins attended the protest as well and discussed the symbolism of the noose, adding that he was troubled that someone with a CUID and knowledge of TC’s labyrinthine halls perpetrated the incident. “It’s as if a burning cross was placed on the campus of Columbia University,” he said. “This sounds like an inside job.”
At town hall meetings following the hate crime, TC administrators spoke of using the moment to galvanize the community.
The firestorm surrounding the noose initially cooled, only to escalate anew when TC officials issued an internal memo in mid-February stating Constantine had been sanctioned on plagiarism charges. According to the college, former students and a colleague of Constantine, to whom TC granted legal indemnity, came forward with passages they said Constantine used with inappropriate attribution.
While TC officials said they would not fire Constantine due to her tenured position, they did not otherwise specify the terms of her sanction.
Constantine and her lawyer, Paul Giacomo, Jr., denied the charges at the time and said she would appeal the sanction, claiming her “due process” had been violated. She released a statement that suggested the University targeted her as part of a racist “witch hunt.” In another statement, her colleague Professor Barbara Wallace spoke out on Constantine’s behalf against what she called the “institutionalized racism” of TC’s administration.
Constantine’s rhetoric about racism has caused many publications, including the Post, to lambaste her on their editorial pages.
A source close to the situation—granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case—said that TC is still figuring out the details of the appeal’s timeline because the situation is highly unusual.
Giacomo is now directing media inquiries to Constantine.
Jacob Schneider contributed to this article.