Three college presidents acknowledged missteps in combatting campus antisemitism but outlined actions they are taking to support Jewish students during another tempestuous Congressional hearing on Wednesday.
The Committee on Education and Workforce hearing took place amidst the Trump administration’s crackdown on the mistreatment of Jewish students since the 2023 Hamas terror attacks on Israel and the sometimes violent protests that ensued.
The committee’s chairman, Republican Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan, accused the presidents of Haverford College, DePaul University and California Polytechnic State University of letting their campuses become “hotbeds of antisemitism.”
“Hamas is gaining support and comfort from schools that allow this to go on, and these go beyond simple words—they include faculty and students blocking the freedom of education and life itself for Jewish students,” said Walberg, who vowed to hold the three institutions and other schools accountable for tolerating antisemitism.
Democratic members of the committee decried the problem of antisemitism on campus but questioned the sincerity of Republicans’ efforts. They noted that the Trump administration pardoned Jan. 6 protestors and is dismantling the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights and detaining international students while the committee has not held hearings on other forms of discrimination on campus, such as Islamophobia and homophobia.
“I can no longer pretend this is a good faith effort to root out antisemitism, especially when the Trump administration and majority party are regularly undermining Jewish values,” said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon.
Admitting missteps, taking action
Each institution’s president, while admitting mistakes in responding to campus antisemitism and protests, told the committee they are taking action to protect Jewish students, faculty and staff. DePaul University President Robert Manuel said the school has suspended a pro-Palestinian organization, enacted restrictions on protests and created a task force on antisemitism.
“We’ve made mistakes along the way,” said Manuel, whose campus was occupied by a pro-Palestinian encampment for more than two weeks. “To our students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni, I am deeply sorry. There are areas where we must and will do better.”
Haverford President Wendy Raymond tangled with members of the committee over her unwillingness to discuss specifics about any disciplinary actions her institution has taken against individuals involved in antisemitic incidents. Raymond has launched programs to combat antisemitism and increase engagement with Haverford’s Jewish community while also boosting campus security.
“In the past few years we have been tested like never before,” Raymond said. “I recognize that we haven’t always succeeded in living up to our ideals. Many have wished that the college or I, as president, had responded differently to various actions.”
Cal Poly is creating an interfaith center to help Jewish students better connect with campus life and is fundraising to create a chair in Jewish studies, President Jeffrey Armstrong said. The university is also working with two prominent Jewish student campus organizations, Hillel and Chabad, to bolster Jewish student life and increase awareness around antisemitism.
“The targeting of Jewish students was terrible and unacceptable,” Armstrong said. “We have to do better.”
New review of campus antisemitism
In a related development, the Trump administration, which has pressured several Ivy League institutions on the welfare of Jewish students, launched an investigation of what officials describe as antisemitic violence at the University of Washington and its affiliates.
The university condemned harassment and violence that occurred during a May 5 protest at the Seattle campus, where activists pressed campus leaders to divest from Boeing due to the company’s contracts with Israel.
“The violence and chaos that ensued on University of Washington’s campus is yet another horrifying display of the antisemitic harassment and lawlessness which has characterized many of our nation’s elite campuses over the last several years. This destructive behavior is unacceptable,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
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