Capital District Times

ABC News has reported on the actions taken by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, a senior member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, in response to antisemitism on college campuses. This follows the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Elise Stefanik expressed her surprise at how university presidents' responses to her questions during a congressional hearing became widely discussed. Her question about whether calling for genocide constitutes hate speech was a focal point of the Education and Workforce Committee's hearing with leaders from Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and MIT.

"I made it a moral question so that they would answer 'yes,'" Stefanik stated to ABC News. "And to the world's shock, they did not answer yes."

This committee's oversight led to numerous investigations into universities, several hearings and roundtables, resignations of Ivy League presidents, and subpoenas producing extensive documentation regarding antisemitic incidents.

Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx has continued these efforts over the past year. She emphasized ensuring Jewish students' safety on campus: "Our goal was and is to make sure that Jewish students are safe on campus," she told ABC News.

The previous academic year saw reports of antisemitism across campuses with demonstrations leading to various disruptions. At Columbia University, an antisemitism task force identified failures in addressing hate speech. Meanwhile, Harvard faced criticism for not disciplining participants in what was described as "antisemitic chaos."

Some universities have since revised their policies regarding protests and free expression. MIT updated its policies this summer, while the University of Michigan clarified protest rights should not infringe upon others' rights or disrupt university operations.

Stefanik initiated calls for accountability last October following protests. The House passed her resolution condemning antisemitism in November. Foxx has been credited with elevating education issues within Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson joined investigations into universities' funding sources following large demonstrations at Columbia University.

"The antisemitism issue is not one that we anticipated being such a big issue," Johnson remarked to ABC News.

However, there are differing opinions within the committee about handling discrimination broadly. Democratic Ranking Member Bobby Scott criticized the focus solely on antisemitism without addressing other forms of discrimination like Islamophobia.

"How do you say we're going to fight antisemitism without fighting racism, Islamophobia, homophobia?" Scott questioned.

Despite passing comprehensive legislative packages aimed at higher education reforms labeled as "anti-woke," critics argue these efforts may be ineffective in the Senate.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici criticized these bills as a "colossal waste of time," questioning their definitions and objectives related to higher education reform.