During a House committee hearing, Harvard University president Dr. Claudine Gay faced scrutiny from Republican Representative Elise Stefanik regarding the issue of calls for genocide of Jews on the campus. Stefanik pressed Gay on whether such calls violated the university's conduct rules. In response, Gay did not directly answer the question, but rather emphasized the university's commitment to free speech and acknowledged that hateful speeches were personally abhorrent to her. When asked if the hate speeches were a violation of Harvard's values, Gay acknowledged that they were "at odds with the value of Harvard" but reiterated the university's commitment to free expression, even of objectionable views.
Stefanik further questioned Gay about reports ranking Harvard low in protecting free speech, to which Gay rejected that characterization of the campus. When asked about actions taken against students calling for the genocide of Jews, Gay mentioned "robust disciplinary actions" but did not provide specific details, citing the privacy rights of students and ongoing processes.
Stefanik expressed dissatisfaction with Gay's responses, called for her resignation, and stated that Gay's testimony and inability to answer with moral clarity spoke volumes. Additionally, the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania testified in Congress on rising antisemitism incidents on campuses, with discussions on whether calls for genocide against Jews constituted harassment and the measures being taken to address antisemitism.
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