Elite university presidents resign following anti-semitism allegations
Joseph Prezioso / The Boston Globe
Harvard students assemble in support of Palestinians in Gaza on Oct. 14, 2023
Following a congressional hearing in Dec. on the subject of antisemitism on campus—and the consequent backlash from the public—Ivy League university presidents Elizabeth Magill and Claudine Gay announced their resignations in the subsequent weeks. Calls for their resignations began to circulate the instant that their controversial testimonies emerged, igniting an explosive aftermath.
When the Israel-Palestine conflict enters the conversation, nearly every publicized opinion is assumed to carry a drastic connotation. At the risk of implying religious prejudice, making an accidental accusation of terrorism or exhibiting their own ignorance, those in positions of power attempt to tread lightly when addressing the matter.
Ever since Hamas’ initial attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the globe has erupted in a maelstrom of protest, violence, prejudice and turmoil. U.S. university campuses are no exception; antisemitic and islamophobic incidents have surged dramatically in the past few months, and a recent report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Hillel International found that the number of Jewish students who felt physically and emotionally safe on the Harvard campus was respectively 46 percent and 33 percent following Oct. 7.
Typically, administrative positions are accompanied by a distinct responsibility: students expect a proportionate course of action from their governing administrations under circumstances such as these.
However, subsequent to a string of anti-Israel protests calling for “Jewish genocide,” many students felt that the administrations of University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) fell tragically short while developing their response. Perplexed as to whether or not their codes of conduct on harassment had been breached by the events and determining the chants as free speech, all three presidents concluded that the circumstances did not call for disciplinary action.
The resulting congressional hearing commenced on Dec. 5, when university presidents Elizabeth Magill of UPenn, Claudine Gay of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of M.I.T. were called to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Capitol Hill. The women were asked to speak to claims that their schools had failed to protect Jewish students amid the intensifying war and respective rise in antisemitism. The hearing quickly escalated into a convoluted discussion on school policies and procedures, but it would later be suggested that underlying stigmas and irrelevant topics had penetrated the conversation.
Republicans have long been known to hold disdain towards higher education in the United States, claiming that college campuses are mostly characterized by left-wing values and under the influence of the liberal elite, the suppression of conservative ideas. In fact, a 2022 poll at the Pew Research Center revealed that 76 percent of conservative Republicans considered colleges to negatively affect the country.
In the hearing, Republican Rep. Brandon Williams extensively inquired into all three universities’ finances, broaching the subject of endowment tax that has long been popular among conservatives. Utah’s Rep. Burgess Owens raised the topic of Harvard’s minority-specific “affinity celebration” ceremonies, referring to what is for many an empowering and validating experience as a racially divisive and offensive procedure. Determining these subjects as peripheral at best to the discussion at hand, Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici was compelled to attempt to steer the conversation back on track.
“I also want to note that the main point of this hearing should be to identify bipartisan solutions to combat antisemitism, not an excuse to attack higher education, liberal arts education, or important diversity, equity and inclusion work that’s happening at colleges and universities across the country,” Bonamici said.
Nearing the end of the hearing, Gay’s career took a detrimental blow when New York’s Republican Representative Elise Stafanik infamously proposed the question: “Calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard code of conduct, correct?”
“It depends on the context,” Gay said.
The following day, over 70 members of Congress—the vast majority of whom were Republicans—demanded the presidents’ resignation. A consensus was reached that the three presidents had failed to clearly state that the calls for Jewish genocide constituted harassment and ultimately failed to protect the targeted students.
However, this decision did not gain unanimous favor with the public. Alternatively, it was suggested that Stefanik laid a trap for Gay, coaxing her statement onto the record. Stefanik’s use of the phrase, “genocide of Jews,” was an allusion to earlier in the hearing, when the congregation had discussed free speech in the academic setting. Gay’s hesitance to silence murmuring of the Palestinian term “intifada,” despite its circumstantially violent connotation, was well within reason—in fact, to do so would have been an obstruction of the protesters’ First Amendment rights.
Additionally, combating rumors of Gay’s Jew-specific prejudices was her answer to another of Stefanik’s questions, a hypothetical one regarding her course of action in a situation in which protesters called for the murder of African-Americans. Just as Gay began to say, “Our commitment to free speech…” continuing to emphasize the university’s customary proceedings, she was swiftly cut off mid-sentence by her interrogator. Many would later voice suspicions that Stefanik had purposefully pivoted, not having received the answer she’d hoped for. Throughout the hearing and following her incriminating quotation, Gay’s continued attempts to emphasize her personal repulsion to the “abhorrent” speech were met by deaf ears.
Regardless of exterior opinion, Congress had come to a decision. Magill was the first to resign from UPenn on Dec. 9, only four days after the hearing. Her actions were spurred by the withdrawn financial support of prominent Jewish donors, all of whom had called for her resignation along with the congressmen. The withdrawal of donations began with the Palestine Writes Literature Festival in late Sept. 2023, a treasured event among Palestinians for the unique sense of community it offers. The event was initially protested over a month before it took place, when Magill received countless letters from various donors and the ADL condemning the inclusion of lyricist and accused antisemite Roger Waters in the festivities, among other speakers. At the time, Magill was firm in her defense of the festival, reinforcing UPenn’s commitment to “open expression and academic freedom.” Meanwhile, much of the university’s Palestinian population were saddened by the claims of antisemitism in the context of the festival, claiming that they had only ever intended to preach love and creativity.
The school’s political atmosphere has since pivoted, albeit marginally. Samo graduate DJ Bevan (’23) reflected on the impacts of Magill’s resignation on campus life when proposed with the question of its extent.
“After the hearing, and the subsequent resignation, I’ve noticed more protests regarding free speech and continued Palestinian/Israeli protests. From my perspective, the campus dynamic hasn’t shifted much - but there is more attention concerning academic freedom and freedom of speech,” Bevan said. “Magill’s resignation has led me to feel that some voices are prioritized over others: prominent donors who withdrew grants had a significant influence on her resignation and show signs of rupturing the state of democracy on campus. I believe the school is doing their best to accommodate various perspectives, but external pressures (like donors) are threatening academic freedom. However, I haven’t directly experienced any threats to my educational freedom.”
It was weeks later that Gay resigned as Harvard President on Jan. 2, retiring to a faculty position only six months after first taking office. A significant contributing factor was a rumor that had begun to circulate the day of Magill’s departure: although technically baseless, an accusation was made that Gay had plagiarized some academic work, which only further deteriorated her credibility as president.
The third attendee at the hearing, President Kornbluth, has since refused to succumb to public pressure to resign. This can be attributed in part to M.I.T.’s response to the Dec. hearing, a rapidly-issued statement declaring the administration’s unequivocal support for Kornbluth, who is Jewish.
Gay later apologized for her congressional testimony in an interview with the Harvard Crimson.
"I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures," Gay said. "What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community—threats to our Jewish students—have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged."
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