ExclusiveHouse Republicans are spearheading an effort to require elite universities to counter the threat of anti-Israel protests on their college campuses this coming fall semester as investigations into a “disturbing pattern of anti-Semitic activity” on college campuses continue.
The House Ways and Means and Education and Labor committees sent letters to 10 prominent universities on Thursday, asking them to detail what steps the institutions will take to protect Jewish students next semester and prevent anti-Semitic unrest like the one that occurred in the spring semester.
“Refusing to impose basic discipline, hold bad actors accountable, and restore order on campus in the face of chaos, violence, and hatred will make life worse for all students, including Jewish students,” the letter said.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, criticized some universities, such as Columbia University, which canceled its spring graduation ceremonies amid protests, for failing to discipline anti-Israel activists on their campuses.
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Protesters gather at Harvard University to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023. A week after Israel’s worst attack in history, Israel warned Palestinians to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground offensive against Hamas, with thousands of Palestinians seeking refuge on October 14. (Joseph Prezioso)
“The Ways and Means Committee has broad jurisdiction over the United States tax code and the generous tax benefits enjoyed by America’s universities,” Smith said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “In recent weeks, we have seen universities such as Columbia University abysmally fail to address unrest on their campuses, refusing to expel or discipline single students who have occupied campus buildings. This is unacceptable.”
The committee has been leading an investigation into anti-Semitism on college campuses since April, which it says has “uncovered deeply disturbing, systemic cultures of anti-Semitism at a number of leading universities across the country.”
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The letter pointed to the hundreds of anti-Israel activists who protested and burned an American flag outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress, and stressed that the risk of these groups staging similar organized events on college campuses remains high.
“The issues of anti-Semitic harassment, disruption, and violence have not been resolved. Based on the available evidence, such disruptions may occur again on campus this fall, and we must be prepared to act,” they wrote.
“Without strong disciplinary measures or clear, thorough campus policies to prevent harassment and intimidation, these elite institutions are giving radical students and organizations permission to continue to hold our higher education system hostage and create unsafe campus environments for Jewish students. University officials should take this as a warning and get things right.”
On April 30, 2024, the New York Police Department arrested dozens of anti-Israel students at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves in the Hamilton Hall building near the Gaza solidarity camp in New York City. (Selcuk Achal)
Lawmakers also highlighted the impact these protests have on students’ safety and their ability to receive an education.
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. Several of these schools responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the letter.
A Northwestern University spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the school was updating its code of conduct ahead of the new semester amid a surge in anti-Semitism.
“The University is committed to ensuring appropriate steps are taken to counter the surge in anti-Semitism at Northwestern, which reflects disturbing trends across the nation,” a Northwestern spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The University is in the process of updating our Student Code of Conduct and Demonstration Policy, as well as instituting a new Exhibition Policy. We are also enhancing security, community resources, and educational opportunities on campus, as outlined in President Sill’s message to the community earlier this week.”
A University of Southern California protester, right, confronts university public safety officers in Alumni Park on campus during a pro-Palestinian occupation, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Cornell University said it had “received the letter and will respond to the committee’s questions.”
Similarly, Rutgers University told Fox that “the university received the letter and will be responding directly to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Education and Labor Committee.”
“Columbia University is committed to taking sustained, concrete action to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination of all kinds and to ensure a campus where everyone in our community can thrive. We are working diligently to review and strengthen our policies ahead of the fall semester and are reviewing this letter,” a Columbia spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the letter.
“Rutgers University opposes hate in all harmful forms,” the university said in a statement to Fox. “The university strives to be a safe and supportive environment for all students, faculty and staff. We categorically reject intolerance based on religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, ability or political opinion.”
Berkeley referred Fox to a recent message sent by the chancellor of the University of California system to students, staff and faculty on the Berkeley campus and across the University of California system.
“We actively encourage all members of the UC community to voice their opinions on issues that are important to them,” the chancellors wrote. “The University must of course abide by UC, state and federal policies that protect expressive rights, ensure state and federal protected identities, and ensure safe, timely and full access to campus for all.”
Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate outside the Stern School of Business at New York University in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, Monday, April 22, 2024. (Stephanie Keith)
When contacted by Fox News Digital, a University of Pennsylvania spokesperson declined to comment.
Attempts to contact Barnard College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Los Angeles were unsuccessful.
“Jewish students have a right to a safe learning environment, and without a plan, they will be forced into the same hostile and dangerous situations they escaped last semester,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, D-N.Y., chair of the Education and Labor Committee.
“The university should have spent every minute over the summer preventing those responsible for last semester’s disruptions from returning and developing a plan to address future acts of violence,” Fox said in a statement. “If they did not, then they hold students accountable.”
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The letter asked the university to let them know what new policies and disciplinary procedures are being implemented to deter protests on campus this fall.
