Ivy League presidents reckon with swift backlash to remarks on campus antisemitism

WASHINGTON — Facing heavy criticism, the University of Pennsylvania’s president walked back some of her remarks given earlier this week at a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism, saying she should have gone further to condemn hate against Jewish students. Much of the blowback centered on a heated line of questioning from Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who repeatedly asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate each university’s code of conduct. Gay responded to the question in a similar manner, saying that when “speech crosses into conduct, that violates our policies.” Kornbluth responded that she had not heard calling for the genocide of Jews on MIT’s campus, and that speech “targeted at individuals, not making public statements,” would be considered harassment. “It’s evil, plain and simple.” Magill called for a review of Penn’s policies, which she said have long been guided by the U.S. Constitution but need to be “clarified and evaluated” as hate spreads across campus and around the world “in a way not seen in years.” In a statement posted Wednesday by Harvard on X, formerly Twitter, Gay condemned calls for violence against Jewish students. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, told reporters on Wednesday that Magill’s response was “an unacceptable statement.” “I’ve said many times, leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity.