These days, university officials typically take a deep breath. At the end of the academic year, campuses empty. The tent cities that student activists erected in Gaza as a symbol of opposition to Israel’s war have largely disappeared.
But this summer might feel longer than most.
Republicans in Congress have vowed to press forward with their investigations into anti-Semitism on college campuses even as they wrap up their latest hearing, which they are turning into a public scolding session of leaders at Rutgers, Northwestern and the University of California, Los Angeles over their actions wanted from campus camps.
And protesters have also vowed not to give up – hundreds marched Thursday at Harvard University’s graduation ceremony, and students at UCLA pitched new tents and briefly took over a building.
In the coming months, universities will have to face a number of complex challenges. Federal investigations are underway at numerous universities and school districts into their handling of anti-Semitism allegations. There are hundreds of disciplinary cases to be decided. And plans are needed for the fall, when college districts will fill up again — possibly with more protesters — just a few months before the presidential election.
Here’s what might be keeping university presidents up at night.
Suspensions, Expulsions and Reprimands
One of the key takeaways from Thursday’s hearing was that the three universities had yet to complete numerous disciplinary cases against student protesters.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said Thursday that the school is conducting more than 100 investigations into student behavior involving both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Northwestern President Michael Schill and Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said their schools would also continue to investigate reports of harassment. At Rutgers University, four students were suspended and 19 others faced other disciplinary action.
Republicans pressed leaders on whether they would suspend students who violate codes of conduct, and schools must now make disciplinary decisions, knowing Republicans will want to know the results.
During the hearing, Mr. Schill declined to provide a timeline for Northwestern’s investigation. “We at Northwestern believe the process is due,” he said.
Congressional and Federal Investigations
Republicans have threatened to cut billions of dollars in financial aid and research funding from schools and universities they say have failed to protect Jewish students. Numerous congressional committees are examining whether universities have violated aspects of the law, from tax code to anti-discrimination laws.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina, who chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, has launched an investigation to examine “the learning environments” at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the disciplinary practices at those schools .
And the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has opened discrimination investigations into numerous universities, colleges and school districts, including Rutgers, Northwestern, UCLA, Harvard and Columbia, based on complaints of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim harassment after the Israel-Hamas war broke out.
Autumn is just around the corner
At three House hearings, college presidents repeatedly spoke about how surprised and unprepared they were by the protests on their campuses. Come fall they will have no excuse.
Students will return to campus approximately two months before the presidential election. And student activists promise to continue their protests.
During the demonstrations, students displayed a defiant tone, refusing payout orders and defying pleas from college administrators who sought a compromise to dismantle the camps.
A taste of what could lie ahead came from UCLA on Thursday afternoon
While the university’s chancellor attended the congressional hearing, protesters set up a new, small encampment on campus.
And that morning, the university group Students for Justice in Palestine posted a message: “We are back.”
Jonathan Wolfe and Maya Shwayder contributed reporting.
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2024-05-24 09:05:27
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