THE BULWARK
Any Other Group
Gregg Hurwitz
December 6, 2023

AT A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON TUESDAY, the presidents of three formerly great institutions—Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT—demurred on the question of whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated their universities’ codes of conduct. Not a single one replied yes. Nor could they state unequivocally that calls for the elimination of Jews constituted harassment. This question was phrased baldly. It was not about pro-Palestine protests. It was not about calls for a two-state solution. Or criticisms of Israel. “The genocide of Jews” was the exact phrase, stated over and over. This three minutes and thirty-one seconds is worth watching in its entirety, lest you understandably believe my interpretation is spin or hyperbole…Let us imagine the question rephrased: “Does calling for the genocide of blacks constitute bullying and harassment?” “Does calling for the wholesale slaughter of gays constitute bullying and harassment?” READ MORE

AXIOS Penn loses $100 million donation over antisemitism hearing A University of Pennsylvania donor is withdrawing a gift worth around $100 million to protest the school’s response to antisemitism on campus. The final straw for Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, was Tuesday’s widely criticized congressional testimony by Penn president Liz Magill…Stevens, in a letter from his lawyers to Penn, alleges that the school has violated the terms of the limited partnership agreement, including its anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.

DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN Wharton Board of Advisors calls for change in Penn leadership after Magill testimony uproar The Wharton Board of Advisors is calling on the University to change leadership with “immediate effect,” according to a letter to Penn President Liz Magill first obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian. The letter describes the Board’s concern about “dangerous and toxic culture” at Penn that they said the University leadership has allowed to exist. The letter adds that the University leadership “does not share the values of our Board.

THE FREE PRESS Safety First on Campus. Except for Jews Safety first. That’s the approach taken by university administrators these days. On campuses across the country, “safety first” has birthed a whole new moral framework—one that treats rhetorical “microaggressions” as acts of violence. It’s safety first when it comes to edgy Halloween costumes. It’s safety first when a professor writes an email in which she says, “Black Lives Matter but also, Everyone’s Life Matters.” And it’s safety first when a professor fails too many students in his class. But when it comes to threats and calls for genocide against the Jews, it’s a different story. Not safety first, but anything goes.