2/11/2024 0 Comments Mymoney loginIn recent weeks, there have been hundreds of protests and counterprotests on college campuses, with some of them turning violent. “That kind of cut is going to cripple the ability of the antisemitism police, if you want to sort of look at it that way, in terms of trying to stop this type of activity on campuses,” Courtney said.Ĭollege campuses across the country have seen a rise in tension over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Joe Courtney of Connecticut criticized his Republican House colleagues for proposing to cut the office’s funding by 25%. ![]() The office handles a variety of civil rights complaints.Īt Tuesday’s hearing, Democratic Rep. The Department of Education has told CNN that the situation is becoming untenable for the Office for Civil Rights, and that it doesn’t have the investigative staff to match the influx of cases. The schools risk losing federal funding if they don’t comply. The investigations were launched under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which says universities and K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide all students with an environment free from discrimination.Īt the conclusion of the investigations, the Department of Education will make recommendations to the schools. Since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, the Department of Education has opened an unprecedented number of investigations into alleged incidents of hate on college campuses.īoth Harvard and Penn, along with six other colleges and four K-12 school districts, are under investigation. “We have robust disciplinary processes that allow us to hold individuals accountable,” Gay said. When that speech crosses into conduct that violates Harvard’s policies against bullying and harassment, or incites violence or threatens safety, then action is taken, she said. “It is at odds with the value of Harvard, but … we embrace a commitment to free expression even of views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful,” Gay said. “Do you believe that type of hateful speech is contrary to Harvard’s code of conduct or is it allowed at Harvard?” Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, pressed. Gay said that type of “hateful, reckless, offensive speech” is “abhorrent” to her. House passes resolution condemning antisemitism In this November 14 photo, people attend the March for Israel on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The two terms are sometimes used at pro-Palestinian protests and Stefanik argued that the use of “intifada” in the context of the Israeli-Arab conflict is “indeed a call for violent armed resistance against the state of Israel, including violence against civilians and the genocide of Jews.” ![]() Elise Stefanik of New York asked Gay if Harvard would take disciplinary action against students or applicants who say “from the river to the sea” or “intifada.” Several Republican members of the committee argued that the college presidents are not doing enough to protect Jewish students on campus. While Republican leaders of the committee said the focus of the hearing was on addressing antisemitism, the college leaders also said they are seeing a rise in Islamophobia and are working to combat those acts of hate as well.Ĭombatting antisemitism while protecting free speech “After the events of the past two months, it is clear that rabid antisemitism and the university are two ideas that cannot be cleaved from one another,” Foxx said.įor several hours, the presidents faced questions about their disciplinary actions toward students regarding acts of antisemitism, how their schools’ hiring practices ensure their faculty represent diverse viewpoints and how they are ensuring safety on campus. “As you confront our questions in this hearing, remember that you are not speaking to us, but to the students on your campus who have been threatened and assaulted and who look to you to protect them,” she said.Īs chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Foxx invited Harvard president Claudine Gay, Penn president Liz Magill and MIT president Sally Kornbluth to testify. ![]() “Today, each of you will have a chance to answer to and atone for the many specific instances of vitriolic, hate-filled antisemitism on your respective campuses that have denied students the safe learning environment they are due,” said Republican Rep. The presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are facing questions from Congress Tuesday about their responses to alleged incidents of antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
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