Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) has sent letters to the University of Illinois College of Medicine (UICOM), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and University of California, Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine (UCLA Med) seeking explanations from school leaders about their responses to incidents of antisemitism. The letters cite specific examples of alleged antisemitic conduct and harassment at these institutions and emphasize the schools’ obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to address discrimination on campus.
In his letter to UICOM, Walberg raised concerns about the actions of Tim Lacy, Director of Student Learning Environment. Walberg wrote: “…the Committee is concerned that UICOM’s Director of Student Learning Environment, Tim Lacy—the administrator tasked with addressing and mitigating the hostility and fear felt by Jewish students—is viewed by some Jewish students as contributing to the hostile environment felt by them… in one social media post, Director Lacy made light of the rise on antisemitism on college campuses, describing his reaction to a federal task force on antisemitism in Chicago as ‘bracing [himself] for some serious bullshit in Chicago.’”
Addressing UCSF, Walberg cited an incident involving a faculty member: “A UCSF professor posted a news article that cited an unfounded antisemitic claim by Hamas that Israel stole organs from corpses… Hamas is a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that calls not only for the destruction of Israel but for the murder of the Jewish people. When faculty or staff show support for Hamas’ actions, many Jewish students perceive these statements as threatening not only to the state of Israel but to the Jewish people more broadly… Such statements—especially when made repeatedly and by individuals in a position of authority—can contribute to a hostile environment that universities are obligated to respond to and mitigate under Title VI.”
The letter addressed to UCLA Med highlighted comments made during student discussions and official events. Walberg wrote: “In the UCLA Class of 2025 group chat on October 7th, a student compared the actions of Hamas to a ‘slave rebellion’ and said that Israeli families were ‘overseers’ and therefore didn’t deserve to be mourned… On April 2, 2024, the Department of Psychiatry’s diversity office hosted a lecture on ‘Depathologizing Resistance’ that allegedly glorified self-immolation as justifiable resistance against Israel and referred to Israel as ‘Occupied Palestine for 75 years.’ A UCLA administrator attended the event. Jewish faculty who raised concern over the lecture were publicly accused by others of being ‘anti-black racists’… Jewish students and faculty may experience the statements described above, including those that delegitimize Israel, as antisemitism.”
The committee’s inquiry reflects ongoing national attention regarding how higher education institutions address reports and allegations related to campus climate issues.
