High Country Times

The Chairwoman of the Education and Workforce Committee, Virginia Foxx (R-NC), has issued a letter to University of California system President Michael Drake, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, and University of California Board of Regents Chair Richard Leib. The letter requests documents and information pertaining to UCLA's handling of an unlawful antisemitic encampment, several instances of antisemitic violence, harassment, and exclusion on campus, as well as the university administration's alleged failure to ensure a safe learning environment for students, faculty, and staff. The deadline for the requested documents is May 21, 2024.

Foxx stated in her letter: "For days, the unlawful encampment’s checkpoints illegally denied students access to campus buildings. Jewish students were attacked, harassed, and intimidated for walking on their own campus, and all UCLA students were denied a safe and uninterrupted learning environment."

She further added: "The illegal, antisemitic encampment at UCLA is only the most recent display of a pervasive environment of antisemitism that has long been an issue at UCLA. Following a 2015 study, with similar results in 2018, a third of all Jewish students at UCLA reported being blamed for the actions of the Israeli government because of their Jewish identity either ‘frequently’ or ‘occasionally.’ A third of the study’s respondents at UCLA also reported a ‘hostile environment towards Jews.’ The report notes that ‘the highest levels of perceived hostility toward Jews were at UCLA.’”

Foxx also highlighted concerns about the undergraduate student government (USAC), stating: “Even the undergraduate student government (USAC), intended to serve as a voice for all UCLA students, has a deeply concerning history of retribution against students who speak against anti-Jewish bigotry on campus. … A Jewish student said that USAC leadership has ‘purposefully used their position and power to make us Jewish students feel unsafe.’”

The Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Virginia Foxx, is scheduled to hold a full committee hearing with the presidents of Northwestern, UCLA, and Rutgers on May 23. The hearing is titled “Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos.”