Documents that Harvard University sent to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce after the latter said it was being stonewalled and issued a subpoena, suggest that the Ivy League school “likely” violated its responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the committee stated on Thursday.
The materials “show that Harvard failed to discipline the overwhelming majority of those involved in the protests, and none of those found responsible for the spring encampment were suspended,” according to the House committee.
“Harvard failed, end of story. These administrators failed their Jewish students and faculty,” stated Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chair of the committee. “They failed to make it clear that antisemitism will not be tolerated, and in this case, Harvard may have failed to fulfill its legal responsibilities to protect students from a hostile environment.”
“The only thing administrators accomplished is appeasing radical students, who have almost certainly returned to campus emboldened and ready to repeat the spring semester’s chaos,” Foxx stated. “Harvard must change course immediately.”
The committee added that Harvard considers 52 of the 68 students—76%—referred for punishment for being part of the anti-Israel encampment in “good standing,” and a panel at the Harvard Graduate School of Education didn’t discipline five students who were part of the encampment.
(JNS)