SOMEONE SHOULD ASK PENN PRESIDENT LIZ MAGILL HOW THEY CAN BE TRYING TO FIRE AMY WAX WHILE TOLERATING OPEN JEW-HATRED ON CAMPUS: Harvard, MIT and Penn Presidents Testify Before Congress About Campus Antisemitism.
The presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania testified Tuesday at a congressional hearing about efforts to curb rising antisemitism on their campuses.
Claudine Gay of Harvard, Liz Magill of Penn and Sally Kornbluth of MIT acknowledged to lawmakers that antisemitism was a growing problem at their schools. The school leaders said they are taking steps to combat hate, including beefing up security on campuses and taking action against anyone who harasses or discriminates against students, faculty or staff. They also said their schools want to ensure the safety of their students while still protecting free speech.
“The right to free speech does not extend to harassment, discrimination or incitement to violence in our community,” Kornbluth said.
College campuses have been riled by protests since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with hundreds or even thousands of students, faculty and staff at schools around the country joining pro-Palestinian rallies. Jewish leaders say chants such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Globalize the intifada” are incitements to violence against Israelis and Jews more broadly.
Students and alumni groups say anti-Jewish antagonism has increased amid the rising tensions, prompting calls for schools to do more to protect Jewish students from bigotry. The universities represented at the hearing Tuesday are all private institutions, but Congress has some oversight role because the schools receive significant federal funding for research and student financial aid.
Their sensitivity seems quite selective.