Colleges failed to address antisemitism, House GOP report finds

A House Education and nan Workforce Committee study recovered galore universities person grounded to adequately subject antisemitic conduct, saying nan committee's investigation exposed a activity of antisemitism occurring connected assemblage campuses aft nan October 7th Hamas onslaught prompted nan warfare successful Israel.

A summary of nan much than 100-page report, released Thursday, alleges nan "overwhelming majority" of students accused of antisemitic harassment aliases different acts of antisemitism connected campuses faced minimal disciplinary action for their alleged violations.

Conducted by nan Republican majority's staff, nan study investigated 11 schools from Ivy League elites to California's assemblage system, including nan University of California, Berkeley and UCLA.

"This is not nan end," committee spokesperson AnnMarie Graham-Barnes told ABC News successful a statement, adding, "As agelong arsenic Jewish students are facing favoritism and harassment, nan Committee will proceed to request amended from universities."

Jewish students from crossed nan state described surviving successful a ambiance of hatred and fearfulness aft Hamas invaded Israel. At a legislature roundtable successful February, Yasmeen Ohebsion, of Tulane University, told nan committee that she had slurs for illustration "F--- you, Jew," shouted astatine her since nan warfare began connected Oct. 7.

"This is nan reality arsenic a Jewish student who wears nan Star of David," Ohebsion said.

At nan aforesaid roundtable, Jewish Columbia student Eden Yadegar said she was followed astir her field by protesters brandishing sticks past schoolhouse year. She told ABC News she believes ignoring Jewish students is simply a "characteristic" of her school's administration.

A cardinal conclusion from nan wide-reaching investigation stated that nan alleged chaos – including antisemitic harassment, large-scale disruptions, and pro-Palestinian demonstrations – connected assemblage campuses could group a precedent inviting early behaviors and Title VI Civil Rights Act violations.

The arena that prompted nan committee's months-long investigation started successful December connected Capitol Hill astatine a bombshell proceeding connected combating antisemitism featuring nan presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT.

Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) questions witnesses during a House Education and Workforce Committee Hearing connected holding field leaders accountable and confronting antisemitism, astatine nan U.S. Capitol, successful Washington, D.C., connected December 5, 2023.

Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images, FILE

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik asked each school's president if calling for nan genocide of Jews constitutes arsenic dislike reside connected campus.

The assemblage leaders stated it was a context-dependent answer, which captured countless headlines aft nan once-quiet committee's Dec. 5 hearing.

Harvard President Claudine Gay speaks during a proceeding of nan House Committee connected Education connected Capitol Hill, Dec. 5, 2023 successful Washington, D.C.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP, FILE

From there, nan committee's investigations person featured respective archive requests – collecting much than 400,000 pages – historical subpoenas for documents and soul communications – starring to nan resignations of aggregate assemblage presidents who testified publically earlier Congress (Harvard's Claudine Gay, Penn's Liz Magill, and Columbia's Minouche Shafik each resigned earlier nan commencement of nan 2024-2025 world year).

Columbia University President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik prepares to attest earlier nan House Education and Workforce Committee during a proceeding connected Columbia University's consequence to antisemitism connected Capitol Hill, April 17, 2024.

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images, FILE

The committee's GOP chair, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said while Jewish students person exhibited courageousness amid nan scourge of alleged antisemitic harassment, nan universities grounded to protect them and should beryllium held accountable.

"Our investigation has shown that these 'leaders' carnivore nan work for nan chaos apt violating Title VI and threatening nationalist safety," Foxx wrote successful a statement. "It is clip for nan executive branch to enforce nan laws and guarantee colleges and universities reconstruct bid and guarantee that each students person a safe learning environment," she wrote.

House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) speaks during a property convention connected antisemitism astatine nan U.S. Capitol, April 30, 2024.

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images, FILE

In consequence to nan report, a Department of Education charismatic told ABC News nan section is committed to investigating complaints of antisemitism and different forms of dislike to nan afloat grade of congressionally granted authority. The universities mentioned successful nan study are each being investigated by nan national Office for Civil Rights.

The committee's wide-reaching investigation has 4 halfway findings:

First, it alleges assemblage administrators showed a dereliction of activity and capitulated to encampment leaders. The study concluded UCLA enabled a "hostile environment" for Jewish students arsenic it was alert of and grounded to region "antisemitic checkpoints" wrong of a shelter encampment that "required passerby to deterioration a circumstantial wristband to transverse them."

Second, nan committee said assemblage leaders declined to definitive support for Jewish student communities and condemn antisemitic conduct. Harvard grounded to condemn Hamas successful its first consequence to nan penetration and galore schools "turned its backmost on" Jewish communities connected campus, according to nan report.

It criticized Harvard and nan different universities for showing a deliberate "indifference" to antisemitic harassment while supporting different number groups.

Third, nan schools grounded to meaningfully subject pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The investigation concluded location was small to nary subject regarding encampments and building takeovers astatine schools including Northwestern, Berkeley, and Rutgers.

According to nan report, Rutgers moreover punished Jewish students for revealing nan antisemitism they knowledgeable while it shoa wed "lax" handling of antisemitic misconduct.

Fourth, it said, assemblage leaders were reluctant to participate successful legislature oversight and disparaged lawmakers. The study recovered Harvard, Columbia, and Penn, including presidents and committee chairs, condemned nan committee's actions. Their findings allege that charismatic notes from a Dec. 10 gathering of Harvard's Board of Overseers show erstwhile President Claudine Gay apparently referring to Stefanik arsenic a "purveyor of hate" and "supporter of Proud Boys."

Harvard is 1 of respective schools listed successful nan investigation that has taken steps to update its policies and rules astir field usage and discipline. The university's guidance prohibits demonstrations and protests successful study, instructional, aliases backstage areas.

"Antisemitism has nary spot connected our campus, and crossed nan assemblage we person intensified our efforts to perceive to, study from, support, and uplift our Jewish community, affirming their captious spot astatine Harvard," Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton told ABC News.

Stefanik, a Harvard alum, said nan universities included successful nan sweeping investigation are successful for a reckoning for decades to come.

"This study intelligibly shows nan civilized bankruptcy of assemblage leaders to return decisive action and moreover confirms individual attacks against maine for pursuing their accountability," Stefanik said successful a connection to ABC News.

"Our erstwhile 'elite' higher acquisition institutions conceded to hostile, antisemitic agitators and grounded to condemn and decently subject students and module that were blameworthy of antisemitic behaviour violations," she said.

Last spring, nan antisemitism investigation by Foxx, nan Education Committee and simultaneous investigations by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson to return up nan issue, making it a House-wide probe amid nan pro-Palestinian demonstrations and field takeovers.

Much of nan accusation successful nan majority's wide-reaching investigation has mostly been released to nan nationalist done its high-profile hearings, transcribed interviews, and subpoenas.

Meanwhile, Democrats connected nan committee told ABC News that Republicans connected nan committee "aggressively" ignored different forms of favoritism connected assemblage campuses. "The only measurement you tin efficaciously woody pinch antisemitism is to reside each forms of dislike and discrimination," nan apical Democrat connected nan committee, Rep. Bobby Scott, said.

Rep. Scott added that nan committee has not held immoderate hearings connected Islamophobia, saying "Muslim students person been taxable to dislike reside and everything, discrimination, ra,cism etc."