Calls grow for Harvard to fire President Claudine Gay
FOX News correspondent Bryan Llenas reports on accusations that President Gay fostered an unsafe environment for Jewish students after her comments to Congress about on-campus antisemitism.
Harvard President Claudine Gay is expected to remain in her post after her congressional testimony on antisemitism sparked widespread public outrage last week.
The Harvard Corporation, the university's governing body, issued a statement of support for Gay on Tuesday morning.
"As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University. Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing," the Corporation said.
The statement was first reported by the Harvard Crimson.
HARVARD SWARMED BY TRUCK BILLBOARDS CALLING FOR PRESIDENT TO RESIGN IN WAKE OF UPENN FALLOUT
Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, during a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, 2023. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Harvard University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth each faced intense backlash after they appeared before Congress last week and were grilled about their handling of antisemitism on their respective campuses following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel in October.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., questioned the Ivy Leage presidents about pro-Palestinian protests allowed on their campuses, and whether calls for the genocide of Jewish people heard at some of these demonstrations constituted bullying or harassment under their respective school codes of conduct.
"At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?" Stefanik asked Gay specifically.
"It can be, depending on the context," Gay responded.
"Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation – that is actionable conduct and we do take action," Gay said when pressed to answer "yes" or "no" if calls for the genocide of Jews breaks school rules.
Dr. Claudine Gay of Harvard, Penn's Liz Magill, Dr. Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University, and Dr. Sally Kornbluth of MIT testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Dec. 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
"So the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard code of conduct, correct?" Stefanik asked.
"Again, it depends on the context," Gay said.
"It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes and this is why you should resign," Stefanik responded. "These are unacceptable answers across the board."
Those remarks, and similar comments from Magill and Kornbluth, outraged Jewish groups, prominent alumni and bipartisan lawmakers who demanded that each university chief resign immediately.
A truck on Harvard's campus demanding President Claudine Gay be fired for her handling of antisemitism on campus. (Fox News Digital )
Gay apologized for her comments in a statement released after the hearing.
"I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures," Gay said. "What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard and will never go unchallenged. Substantively, I failed to convey what is my truth."
The Harvard Corporation pointed to Gay's apology in its statement and acknowledged that the university's initial response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel should have been "an immediate, direct, and unequivocal condemnation."
"Calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values. President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the University’s fight against antisemitism," the Corporation said.
So far, only Magill has voluntarily stepped down from her position.
The MIT Corporation issued a statement of "full and unreserved support" for Kornbluth last week amid mounting calls for her resignation.
Earlier, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a Harvard alumnus who has been critical of the university's response to antisemitism, said the Corporation was reluctant to fire Gay.
Ackman claimed that reporters informed him one of the reasons for the board's decision was that they did not want the public to know they were "kowtowing" to him.
"I have been told now by two reporters that one of the factors that made it challenging for the @Harvard board to fire Gay was that they were concerned it would look like they were kowtowing to me," Ackman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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"In other words, the reporters explained, quoting the trustees: 'Had Bill just stopped tweeting, we would have come to the right answer.' So much for Veritas," he continued.
More than 700 Harvard faculty members signed a letter sent to the governing board on Sunday supporting Gay amid calls for her termination. The Harvard Alumni Association Executive Committee and Harvard’s Black Alumni & Allies also each wrote separate letters on Monday offering "unequivocal support" for the university's president.
The Harvard Corporation reiterated that Gay has its unanimous support.
"In this tumultuous and difficult time, we unanimously stand in support of President Gay. At Harvard, we champion open discourse and academic freedom, and we are united in our strong belief that calls for violence against our students and disruptions of the classroom experience will not be tolerated," the Corporations said. "Harvard’s mission is advancing knowledge, research, and discovery that will help address deep societal issues and promote constructive discourse, and we are confident that President Gay will lead Harvard forward toward accomplishing this vital work."
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton, Danielle Wallace and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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