Lawmakers tear into college heads on antisemitism

Both Republican and Democratic members of the House tore into three university presidents Tuesday at a hearing focused on the responses their colleges have had to the rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.  

The presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) all had to defend their policies, though they often declined to give specifics.  

“Today, each of you have a chance to answer to atone for the many specific instances of vitriolic, hate-filled antisemitism on your respective campuses that have denied students the safe learning environment,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman for the House Education Committee, told them in her opening statement.  

All three used their speaking time to highlight efforts they have made to protect Jewish students, such as increasing campus security, providing mental health services and investigating complaints of antisemitism.  

UPenn President Liz Magill pointed to an action plan announced last month at her school that focuses on security, engagement and education. The university also created a task force that will “identify concrete actionable recommendations” and produce a report. 

“Our campus actions to date have protected students’ safety, minimized disruptions to campus activities and protected the right to free expression,” said Sally Kornbluth, the head of MIT, also mentioning efforts the school has made to educate students on antisemitism even before the Oct. 7 attack.

These answers failed to satisfy lawmakers.

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) went after Magill for a festival that was held at UPenn by students where antisemitic speakers were invited.  

While Magill said she personally condemns those speakers’ views, she added the school will not “censor based on the content.” 

Norcross then asked if Magill would allow speakers with racist views at her campus, to which she only responded that the school would “follow our policies.”  

Harvard President Claudine Gay took some of the biggest hits in the hearing, fielding complaints that the school does not care about intellectual diversity and could have been influenced by foreign money in its response to the Oct. 7 attack. 

Gay said it is a hard task balancing free speech with safety in these times, admitting in her opening statement she had “not always gotten it right.” She denounced speech she found abhorrent, such as calls to “intifada” since the attack, and she said it is “not OK” for students to shout down speakers with whom they disagree.  

The Israel-Hamas war has created hotbeds of controversy on college campuses, with numerous protests for and against Israel over the past two months that have led to assaults and complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia.  

Even at the hearing, protesters could be heard yelling from the hallway.  

Members of the public were dressed in Israeli and Palestinian flags and symbols and attempted to grab a seat in the hearing. Many were ushered to an overflow room, but some stayed outside the hearing room where commotion was overheard inside.  

Several people outside called for a “cease-fire now,” and others asked “what happened before October 7th?” Capitol police told people to stay away from the hearing room door.  

Republicans allowed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a Harvard alum, to speak six times, and she peppered Gay with questions while reiterating her calls for the school president’s resignation.

Stefanik asked each university president if the call to genocide against Jewish people violates bullying or harassment policies on their campuses.  

“If the speech becomes conduct, it can be harassment,” Magill said.  

“Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide?” Stefanik fired back.  

Each president said that it depends on the context of how the call is made, leading Stefanik to say such answers are “unacceptable.”  

Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), who is a graduate of UPenn and was a visiting student at Harvard for a year, said it was “unfortunate” to be connected to such institutions after their behavior.

Several Democratic lawmakers also highlighted instances of Islamophobia and other forms of hate on college campuses on the rise since the conflict began.  

Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) asked Gay to detail the steps taken by Harvard to support Palestinian students since the start of the conflict, but she ran out of time to provide an answer.

Fellow Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney (D) called out House Republicans for denouncing antisemitism while also calling for budget cuts to the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office, which investigates discrimination including antisemitism and Islamophobia.  

He also highlighted the recent shooting of three Palestinian students in Burlington, Vt., near a campus last week. The shooting, he said, proves why the office “needs to get full funding” as the House continues to discuss the government’s fiscal 2024 budget.  

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) raised a question about government intervention on college campuses in reference to recent efforts to limit academic diversity, equity and inclusion programs, in addition to discrimination and hate. She asked what happens when we allow the government to dictate what is going on on college campuses, particularly “what we’re seeing in Florida and in West Virginia.” 

The hearing went into recess for lawmakers to vote on a resolution condemning the “drastic rise of antisemitism.” All Republicans voted for the resolution, which “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” while Democrats were split on the issue. 

The vote ended 311-14-92.