While Israel’s war on Gaza continues, with death tolls rising daily, the people’s cries across the globe are getting louder for countries to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza – and American students are no exception, bringing Ivy Leagues and lawmakers face-to-face to address antisemitism on college campuses. While many university presidents’ testimonies have left them running from their positions, Columbia University’s current president, Minouche Shafik, performed far better at Columbia’s hearing and left relatively unscathed.
Universities such as University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and MIT have been seized by student protests, attracting the attention of millions, lawmakers included. These protests have left many Jewish students feeling unsafe, facing harassment and discrimination on their college campuses. With college campuses across the states experiencing noticeable strife from the Israel-Hamas war, the experiences of college Jewish students have led to university presidents finding themselves before congressional hearings on antisemitism. University of Pennsylvania junior Noah Rubin said to lawmakers that, “It’s open season on Jews on our campus, and continued inaction is unacceptable… This is the story of Jews on U-Penn’s campus and students across the country. We are living in a climate of hatred and fear.”
The Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce have been questioning the way universities have been handling the harrowing experiences of their Jewish students. Presidents like U-Penn’s Magill and Harvard President Claudine Gay experienced backlash for their testimonies, which argued that, when speech turns into conduct against Jewish students, only then are there violations of university policies, leading ultimately to their resignations. But at last Wednesday’s hearing, where Columbia University leaders were grilled about their enforcement of antisemitism discipline, Columbia president, Minouche Shafik, found herself in a different position.
Outperforming other university presidents heard before her, Shafik and other Columbia leaders projected an image of a university confronting antisemitic behaviors on campus. While Republicans appeared to be fishing for another viral moment, Shafik came prepared to defend Columbia University, stating to a GOP lawmaker that she spent “many hours” preparing for this hearing.
Answering a series of personnel and bizarre questions from Republican lawmakers, Shafik, who testified alongside Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Claire Shipman and David Greenwald, and law professor David Schizer, the Columbia University hearing reveals more about Republican representatives and the worrisome solutions that have that should raise concern for anyone who cares about higher education.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) showed up at the hearing with stacks of papers littered with post-it notes, questioning the way Shafik has been handling discipline of faculty who have made antisemitic comments (which wasn’t strict enough for the lawmaker), and accused Shafik of changing her testimony under oath several times – leading to concern that Stefanik was attempting to create another viral scene with a “gotcha” moment.
Of more concern were the questions put to Shafik and university leaders surrounding the Bible, “Ashkenormativity,” and “folx.” Furthermore, Shafik was asked if she wanted Columbia to be “cursed by God” by Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.), who suggested that the university should offer a course specifically on the bible and “kinda what will happen under the wrath of God.” Allen’s line of questioning was later challenged by Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), who claimed that “injection of biblical theology into this committee hearing is inappropriate.”
As for now, Shafik can expect to retain her presidency after her testimony, which left Republicans a bit empty-handed and Stefanik unable to claim her third university president’s resignation.
