The Congressional Committee on Education and Workforce sent letters to five American colleges Thursday demanding explanations for alleged permissiveness of antisemitism and anti-Israel protest encampments on their campuses.
Letters were sent by committee chairman Rep. Tim Walberg (R–Michigan, 5th District) and Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah, 4th District) to Barnard College (Manhattan, NY), Bowdoin College (Brunswick Maine), Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois), Pomona College (Claremont, California), and Sarah Lawrence College (Yonkers, New York) regarding “lackluster response to the rise in antisemitism on their campuses.”
The committee commended Barnard for the expulsion of two students involved in the January 21 disruption of a Columbia University Israeli history class, but expressed concern about the institution’s response to the subsequent protests.
Barnard was asked to provide a briefing by April 10 on the February 26 Milbank Hall and March 5 Milstein Center occupations by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) activists, with the committee noting that postsecondary institutions that receive federal funding were expected to maintain a safe learning environment and adequately respond to discrimination and harassment.
Dozens of keffiyeh-clad activists entered Milbank Hall to protest the expulsion of two of their fellow protesters, and demanded negotiations with Dean Leslie Grinage and President Laura Rosenbury regarding amnesty and enacting anti-Israel policies. A security guard was allegedly hospitalized because of the occupation, which lasted several hours and resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in damages due to vandalism.
The Milstein Center incident occurred after the expulsion of another student who had participated in the occupation of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall last April. Masked disruptors entered the lobby demanding negotiations, and the event only ended when there was a bomb threat and the New York Police Department arrested nine activists.
THE LETTER to Bowdoin questioned the college’s response to a February 6 encampment inside the Smith Union, which at the time President Safa Zaki noted had disrupted campus life for students and staff. The encampment ended on February 10, and according to a March 26 Bowdoin Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Instagram post, the organization and eight activists were suspended.
The committee noted that another 50 faced disciplinary action for their involvement in the encampment, but expressed concern about whether they would receive meaningful punishment given the college’s negotiations to end the building occupation.
The committee requested all documents related to the disciplinary actions related to the encampment and any antisemitic incidents since October 2023, and a detailed description of how an understanding was reached with encampment activists.
Zaki said in a Saturday statement that the administration was still reviewing the letter, and was confident that the college’s policies and practices were in compliance with the law.
"These policies and practices allow us to live up to our values and cultivate a campus environment that rejects antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate so all members of our community can thrive," said Zaki. "They support our students in pursuing their own intellectual interests and personal goals ,and they also support our faculty in pursuing their interests, curiosity, and questions in their teaching and in their research."
The committee contacted Northwestern University following an October Committee Republican staff report that alleged that the administration was facilitating and encouraging campus activism. The committee criticized the administration for negotiating with the April 25 Deering Meadow encampment for two hours, offering to let the protesters continue if they removed tents and ceased using bullhorns and speakers. The encampment continued until May 1, according to NU SJP, when the university agreed to disclose investments.
The letter also expressed concern about the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic providing free legal representation to the activists that blocked entry to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport as part of the nationwide April 15 economic blockade protests. The committee requested the administration’s policies, funding, and budget for the legal clinic.
“The clinic’s representation of the blockade organizers also raises broader concerns about the institutionalization of left-wing political activism at Northwestern Law,” said the committee.
ON MONDAY, Northwestern issued a progress report on efforts to combat antisemitism, which followed President Michael Schill’s May 23 testimony to the committee.
“Like many universities across the nation, Northwestern was not prepared for the antisemitism that occurred last year,” said Northwestern. “The University administration took this criticism to heart and spent much of last summer revising our rules and policies to make our university safe for all of our students, regardless of their religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation or political viewpoint.”
Northwestern noted that since September it has enacted new polices against discrimination, harassment, and intimidation, as well as clear guidance on demonstrations. Students were no longer able to refuse to remove face coverings, and bans were enacted on establishing tents and restrictions on flyers, banners and chalking.
In February, the university adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and in September it reportedly began to enact new mandatory antisemitism training.
The committee also demanded from Pomona the documents pertaining to disciplinary actions taken since October 2023, in particular relating to the campus encampments. In early April, an encampment was established on the Smith Campus Center lawn, and on April 5, activists stormed then-president Gabrielle Starr’s office and occupied it for two hours, demanding the cutting of ties with Israel. Around 20 students from Pomona and the Claremont College group were suspended, charged, or banned.
The committee also described how in May activists set up an encampment to disrupt commencement, and in October invaded Carnegie Hall – blocking several entrances and graffitiing the word “intifada” on walls.
Acting President Robert R. Gaines said in a Sunday statement that it was evaluating their response, and that it would meet the requirements in good faith.
“I also want to stress that the college is firmly committed to ensuring a welcoming environment for all and to supporting the right of all of our students, including our Jewish students, to a Pomona education, including taking every appropriate step to prevent antisemitism,” he said.
Exposing student identities
Gaines also on Monday addressed flyers on campus claiming that the college would expose student identities. The acting president denied the rumors as “unfounded worries” that “misrepresents matters grossly.” He assured that the college would protect the privacy of students.
Sarah Lawrence College was also requested to provide disciplinary documentation, and details on an agreement reached with the leaders of a November encampment. The encampment, which reportedly lasted a week, featured signs proclaiming “Long live the Intifada” and saw pamphlets featuring images of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar – before the administration allegedly promised amnesty and disclosed details of investments relating to Israel.
The committee also claimed that there was an October 9 event glorifying the October 7 massacre, and the group that organized the encampment was honored with a “Group Excellence Award” last April.