- School presidents will testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee
- Chairwoman Virginia Foxx says campus protests are ‘morally reprehensible’
The presidents of Ivy League schools Harvard, UPenn and MIT will be taken to task today over their response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus that congressional leaders say have stoked anti-Semitism and made Jewish students across America feel neglected and unsafe be.
At 10:15 a.m., leaders of the three schools will be questioned by Republican lawmakers in the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said the three presidents had failed in their responses to the largely pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Their collective failure to condemn Hamas has created a donor vacuum where the generous Jewish alumni once stood.
One of the many pro-Palestinian campus protests that Republicans said were deemed “morally reprehensible.”
At 10:15 a.m., leaders of the three schools will be questioned by Republican lawmakers in the House Education and Workforce Committee
In addition to larger, mostly peaceful protests, there were isolated acts of violence against Jewish students on some school campuses.
Republicans say schools have not gone far enough in their condemnation of Hamas for fear of alienating their liberal student bodies.
“I want to ask them when are they going to get their backbone and do what they should be doing, which is condemning terrorism and doing what they can to protect their students,” Foxx said during an appearance on Newsmax Hearing last night on Tuesday.
Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gray, UPenn President Liz Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth are all called to testify before the committee.
The hearing will also include testimony from Dr. Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University.
In November, more than 1,600 Harvard graduate students threatened to withdraw donations to protest the school’s response to the protests.
Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said the three presidents had failed in their responses to the largely pro-Palestinian demonstrations
Foxx has been vocal in her criticism of the schools and their approaches.
“Anti-Semitism has no place in America, especially not on college campuses.” Colleges and universities have become breeding grounds for radical ideology.
“This fact has never been more evident when there have been demonstrations on campus in support of Hamas and other terrorist organizations.”
“Not only are these demonstrations morally reprehensible, they also incite violence against Jewish students and faculty.”
“Passing this resolution is a good first step, but I can assure you we will not stop there.”
“Soon the committee will hold a hearing on combating anti-Semitism.”
“I will continue to demand accountability for this type of hateful and violent rhetoric,” she said earlier this month.
Bill Ackman (left), the CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, also spoke out and directed his donations to his alma mater. Les Wexner (right) withdrew Harvard funding from his foundation in protest of its response to the problem