Elite college presidents grilled on Capitol Hill over campus antisemitism, steps to combat hate

The presidents of three elite U.S. colleges told House members Tuesday that they are taking steps to address antisemitism and other hateful actions on campus, but chamber Republicans say the academic leaders could do more.

The exchanges came during a hearing in the GOP-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce almost two months to the day after Hamas launched its terror attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip – reigniting long-standing disagreements among Palestinians and Jews in the U.S. about the situation in Gaza and elsewhere in the region. 

In one exchange between lawmakers and the presidents, GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik challenged Harvard President Claudine Gay on where she draws the line between protected speech and incitement to violence, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Stefnaik, of New York, also asked Gay whether she would take disciplinary action against individuals who participated in rallies in which there were calls for an intifada, or a violent Palestinian uprising, the newspaper also reports.

Gay said the school gives a lot of latitude toward protected speech but acts when it crosses into conduct that violates the school’s policies on harassment, bullying or intimidation. Stefanik called for Gay to resign. 

Gay was joined by Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology