Congress Pressures Universities over Antisemitism

What’s happening: Members of Congress are demanding that Columbia University President Nemat Shafik resign amid pro-Hamas demonstrations on campus.

• Radical protests: Demonstrators blocked a Jewish professor from Columbia’s campus, praised Hamas, and told Jewish students that Oct. 7 will “be every day” for them, among other threats. Protests continued despite dozens of students being arrested or suspended, and classes were moved online for the rest of the semester.

• In the hot seat: House Republicans feel Shafik hasn’t responded strongly enough to antisemitic incidents. They pressured her during a recent hearing to fire professors with a history of pro-Hamas statements, which she indicated she would do.

Why it matters: Republicans are more comfortable leveraging political power against campus radicalism in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war — an aggressive shift which could change their approach toward contentious issues in higher education, such as the rise of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) material.

• Federal probes: The House opened investigations into antisemitism at six elite schools in recent months.

• Financial pressure: Representatives proposed revoking the tax-exempt status of Cornell University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Pennsylvania. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wants the Biden administration to rescind Columbia University’s federal funding.

• Condemnation: An antisemitism hearing with House Republicans in December resulted in the resignations of Harvard and UPenn presidents. This month, the GOP-controlled House passed a resolution condemning college students who chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”