Here’s the latest fallout at Harvard, MIT and Penn after the antisemitism hearing

Dec 14, 2023 by Jill

by Juliana Kim, npr:

Controversy over last week’s congressional hearing regarding antisemitism on college campuses continues to play out at Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania.

Over the weekend, Penn President Liz Magill resigned after calls mounted for her removal among students, faculty and donors. All eyes then turned to Harvard — which announced on Tuesday that its president, Claudine Gay, will keep her job amid intense pressure.

Critics say Magill, Gay and MIT president Sally Kornbluth failed to convince Congress and the public that they can adequately protect their Jewish students. Those concerns largely erupted after the university presidents were asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate their school’s code of conduct. Many felt their answers were too legalistic and lacked moral clarity at a time when both antisemitism and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents are on the rise in the country.

But not everyone is in favor of their departure. A growing number of students and faculty oppose the calls for the presidents to go, arguing that such measures go against school values around independence and freedom speech.

Here’s what to know:

Read here

Read also: The treason of the intellectuals — again by David Herman, The Article