Lawmakers press Harvard, MIT, Penn boards to remove leaders

More than 70 lawmakers are calling on the leaders of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania to resign.

In a letter, led by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), lawmakers urged the institutions' governing board members to immediately remove Harvard President Claudine Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Penn President Liz Magill from their posts. They also want the boards to provide an action plan to ensure the safety of Jewish and Israeli students on campus.

“Anything less than these steps will be seen as your endorsement of what Presidents Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth said to Congress and an act of complicity in their antisemitic posture,” they wrote. “The world is watching — you can stand with your Jewish students and faculty, or you can choose the side of dangerous antisemitism.”

Two other Democrats joined the letter in addition to Moskowitz: Reps. Joe Courtney of Connecticut and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.

About a dozen other Democrats had a separate response. They urged the governing boards to update their codes of conduct, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

“Given this moment of crisis, we ask you to review and update your school policies and codes of conduct to ensure that they protect students from hate, and detail what action steps you are taking to combat antisemitism and to ensure Jewish and Israeli students, teachers, and faculty are safe on your campuses,” lawmakers wrote. “This problem is urgent and we request a swift and comprehensive response.”

Key context

The letters come as the scrutiny of the college leaders intensifies after a more than five-hour hearing on their response to antisemitism on campus. But most of the public outcry has been over the leaders’ refusal to say whether calls for “Jewish genocide” violate their codes of conduct around bullying or harassment.

Gay and Magill have since apologized for their testimonies, where they said they personally did not agree with the rhetoric used by those students and were committed to preserving free speech on campus.

Magill released a video statement, which has been viewed more than 38 million times on X.

“I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate,” she said.

Here are some other updates on the presidents:

Magill faces the toughest scrutiny

Magill has faced the worst criticism from top Democrats in her state and other lawmakers, though they were not a part the letter asking for the university to update its code of conduct and many have stopped short of calling for her resignation.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) called Magill’s comments “offensive,” and said “calling for the genocide of Jews is antisemitic and harassment, full stop.” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Magill’s testimony was “embarrassing for a venerable Pennsylvania university.” And Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, also slammed Magill’s testimony as a “failure of leadership.”

On top of that, the school stands to lose millions of dollars from donors who are threatening to pull their donations if Magill doesn’t step down. Hundreds of Penn alumni, donors and students have also called on Magill to resign. The Wharton Board of Advisors on Thursday called for new university leadership, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian.

And the University of Pennsylvania board of trustees is scheduled to meet via phone at 5 p.m. on Sunday to discuss next steps, the Inquirer reported.

Kornbluth has support

Before the letter was sent, MIT’s governing board on Thursday said they support Kornbluth.

“The MIT Corporation chose Sally to be our president for her outstanding academic leadership, her judgment, her integrity, her moral compass, and her ability to unite our community around MIT’s core values,” the board said in a statement. “She has done excellent work in leading our community, including in addressing antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, which we reject utterly at MIT. She has our full and unreserved support.”

Gay apologized

Gay apologized in an interview Friday with The Crimson, saying: “When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret.”

The House Education Committee announced Thursday that it will investigate Harvard, MIT and Penn over their responses to antisemitism.

“Harvard’s work to combat antisemitism in our community is advancing with the highest commitment and attention from University leaders,” a university spokesperson said Thursday. “The University looks forward to sharing information with the Committee as it pursues its inquiry.”