Congressional Hearing to Address Campus Discrimination

On Tuesday, three university leaders are set to appear before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to discuss their responses to discriminatory incidents on their campuses. Since an attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th, Harvard University's Claudine Gay, the University of Pennsylvania's Liz Magill, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sally Kornbluth have faced protests and tensions related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Reports of discrimination against Jewish and Muslim students have raised concerns about the universities' handling of the situation. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the committee's chairwoman, has criticized the administrators for allowing hateful rhetoric to persist on their campuses. The announcement of the hearing has sparked discussions about discrimination, but it does not address plans to investigate Islamophobia. Following the Hamas attack, student groups at Harvard blamed Israel for the violence, drawing criticism from alumni and lawmakers. The University of Pennsylvania also faced disturbing incidents, including threatening messages projected on campus buildings and emails targeting the Jewish community. MIT's response to protests on its campus has also drawn scrutiny, with some students facing suspension. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is investigating several universities, including Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, based on complaints of discrimination. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 10:15 a.m. EST. It will be live-streamed on CBS News.