High Country Times

Administrators at ten elite universities must detail what policies, procedures, and concrete measures their institutions will implement to prevent a resurgence of campus disruptions, antisemitic harassment, and intimidation of Jewish students this fall. This demand was made by Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) in a letter today.

In April, House Speaker Mike Johnson selected Chairwoman Foxx and Chairman Smith as two of the leaders of a House-wide committee investigation into the rise in antisemitic activity on American university campuses. The letter to college administrators follows months of investigations by the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee that have uncovered a deeply worrisome, systemic culture of antisemitism at many American universities.

From the letters:

“Congressional hearings since October 7th featured shocking testimony revealing the horrific first-hand experiences of Jewish students simply trying to receive an education on campus. Since then, however, the University has had the entire summer to plan for the upcoming school year. As such, we expect that your institution will be ready, willing, and able to prevent such antisemitic conduct and disruptions that violate campus policies and the law and, when such conduct cannot be prevented, hold those responsible for such conduct accountable with real consequences.

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“Moreover, we have been concerned to see empty discipline and a lack of enforcement signified by the fact that many who were arrested on July 24th in Washington D.C., and across college campuses during the academic year were released and saw charges dismissed. We also have documented evidence that many students from the universities currently under investigation traveled to Washington D.C., to participate in these protests which ultimately turned violent. The problem of antisemitic harassment, disruption, and violence has not been resolved. Based on the evidence available, these disruptions are likely to return to campuses this fall and you must be prepared to act.”

Recipients of the letter include Barnard College; University of California Berkeley; Columbia University; Cornell University; Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Northwestern University; University of Pennsylvania; Rutgers University; and University of California Los Angeles.

BACKGROUND:

The Committee on Education and the Workforce has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and awarding federal student aid under Higher Education Act.

The Committee on Ways and Means has broad jurisdiction over Internal Revenue Code including generous tax-exemption most universities receive under Section 501 Code university endowment tax under Section 4968 excise tax executive compensation for tax-exempt organizations under Section 4960.

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