US House committee opens probe into Harvard, Penn, MIT after anti-Semitism hearing
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A Harvard spokesman said the university had “the highest commitment” to combating anti-Semitism and “looks forward to sharing information with the committee as it pursues its inquiry”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON – A United States House of Representatives committee opened an investigation into three of the country’s most prestigious universities on Dec 7, two days after lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the school presidents’ testimony about addressing anti-Semitism.
The Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce said in a statement that it planned to investigate the learning environments and disciplinary policies in Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The panel said it believed the schools were not doing enough to address “rampant anti-Semitism” on their campuses
The investigation could expand to other universities, the statement said.
An MIT spokesman said the school rejected anti-Semitism in all its forms and would work with the committee to address its questions.
A Harvard spokesman said the university had “the highest commitment” to combating anti-Semitism and “looks forward to sharing information with the committee as it pursues its inquiry”.
A representative for the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Oct 7 attack and ensuing war between Israel and Hamas have claimed thousands of lives, and turned US college campuses into hotbeds of protest.
University leaders have come under fire from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian communities for their handling of student and faculty speech and conduct.
More broadly, there has been an upsurge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents,
At the hearing on Dec 5, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik grilled Harvard president Claudine Gay, Penn president Liz Magill and MIT president Sally Kornbluth, asking them whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate their schools’ codes of conduct related to bullying and harassment.
Each president declined to give a simple “yes” or “no” answer, noting that a wide range of hateful speech is protected under the US Constitution’s First Amendment and under university policies.
Video clips of the hearing sparked outrage among the schools’ Jewish students and alumni, who, following the hearing, stepped up calls for Ms Magill and Ms Gay to resign.
One prominent donor, Stone Ridge Asset Management founder and chief executive officer Ross Stevens, has withdrawn a gift to Penn worth nearly US$100 million (S$134 million) to protest against the school’s response to on-campus anti-Semitism.
He said in a letter, which was first reported by Axios: “Mr Stevens and Stone Ridge are appalled by the university’s stance on anti-Semitism on campus.”
In the committee’s statement, panel chairwoman Virginia Foxx, a Republican, said “the testimony we received earlier this week (from university leaders)… was absolutely unacceptable”.
“Committee members have deep concerns with their leadership and their failure to take steps to provide Jewish students the safe learning environment they are due under law,” Ms Foxx added.
The investigation will include “substantial document requests”, the statement said, and could include subpoenas for information not readily provided. REUTERS
