Lawmakers initiated an investigation on Thursday into instances of anti-Semitism at three prominent U.S. universities. The investigation comes in the wake of debates among university leaders regarding whether student protests advocating for the genocide of Jews should be classified as harassment.
The investigation into anti-Semitism at three top U.S. universities, namely Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was initiated after the university presidents faced criticism for their testimony on rising anti-Semitism following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
During a House of Representatives hearing, the university leaders were questioned about whether pro-Palestinian student activists advocating for “Jewish genocide” violated their schools’ codes of conduct on harassment.
The presidents equivocated, stating it would depend on the context, leading to the launch of an official congressional investigation by the Education and Workforce Committee with subpoena power. The investigation aims to hold these schools accountable for what has been deemed a failure on the global stage.
Stefanik, who studied at Harvard, has called for the presidents to resign.
