Dec. 13 (UPI) — House Republicans introduced a resolution to condemn last week’s congressional testimony by university presidents amid outrage over their perceived failure to address growing anti-Semitism on American college campuses.
A vote on the bill is set for Wednesday — more than a week after lawmakers grilled Harvard University President Claudine Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth, and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill for allegedly not enforcing their codes of conduct as some students threatened violence and called for the killing of Jews amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The resolution is co-sponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.,
Stefanik was the most vocal critic at the Dec. 5 hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where she excoriated the school administrators for being too soft on anti-Semitic viewpoints expressed on their respective campuses — leading to an explosive debate that questioned the limits of free speech.
During the contentious proceedings, the nation’s foremost academic leaders faced fierce criticism for not providing direct answers when Stefanik asked whether they condemned speech that called for the destruction of Israel and the genocide of Jews.
Rather than unequivocally denouncing anti-Semitism, the educators cited school policies on harassment and bullying, asserting that their responses on certain conduct would depend on situational context, which infuriated lawmakers.
“These are Ivy League university presidents that were asked a softball question: ‘Does calling for the genocide of Jews count as harassment under their school’s policies?’ That’s not a trick question, and it’s infuriating that these leaders of young people would try to equivocate with some nonsense about ‘it depends on the context,'” Moskowitz said in a statement.
Following the hearing, Stefanik sent a letter to the governing boards of Harvard, MIT and Penn to demand the immediate resignation of the administrators and called for an action plan to ensure the protection of Jewish students, faculty and community members.
Magill has since resigned, while Gay and Kornbluth continue to face calls for their removal, although Harvard’s board announced on Tuesday that Gay will keep her position as the first Black president of the school, a role that she assumed in July.
Gay also received support from more than 700 members of Harvard’s faculty, as well as the executive committee of the Harvard Alumni Association.
In a separate matter, Harvard initiated an independent review into allegations regarding three academic papers written by Gay and found “a few instances of inadequate citation.”
In a statement announcing the upcoming vote, Stefanik continued to describe the educators’ testimony as “morally bankrupt,” in an effort to pressure them to step down.
“This is not a partisan issue but a question of moral clarity which is why our colleagues from across the aisle have come together with us to introduce a resolution condemning anti-Semitism on university campuses as well as the morally bankrupt testimonies,” Stefanik said. “We are only just beginning to address the pervasive rot of anti-Semitism that has infected America’s higher education system and we will not stop until it is rooted out and those responsible for fostering its growth are held accountable. Anti-Semitism has no place in America.”
Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., has also announced an investigation into the policies and disciplinary procedures at U.S. institutions of higher learning.
Foxx said the probe will include substantial document requests, and the committee will “not hesitate to utilize compulsory measures, including subpoenas, if a full response is not immediately forthcoming.”
