As the University of Pennsylvania readies to turn documents over to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, as part of the latter’s investigation into Jew-hatred on campus, Harvard University is drawing the ire of the committee for dragging its feet.
Both Penn and Harvard University have interim presidents following the resignation of their former presidents, who testified before the House committee late last year that it wouldn’t necessarily violate their schools’ policies to call for genocide against all Jews. (Claudine Gay, the former Harvard president, was also accused of academic plagiarism.)
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), who chairs the House committee, wrote to the Ivy League school in Cambridge, Mass., notifying Harvard that it has until 5 p.m. on Feb. 14 to submit the requested documents.
“The committee has sought to obtain information regarding Harvard’s response to the numerous incidents of antisemitism on its campus and steps taken to protect Jewish students, faculty and staff,” Foxx stated.
“Harvard’s responses have been grossly insufficient, and the limited and dilatory nature of its productions is obstructing the committee’s efforts,” she added. “If Harvard continues to fail to comply with the committee’s requests in a timely manner, the committee will proceed with compulsory process.”
Foxx noted that Harvard provided no minutes or summaries of meetings of its Board of Overseers and Harvard Management Company that relate to Jew-hatred or the war in Israel or Gaza, claiming that after a “reasonable search and review,” no such information exists.
“Given the publicly documented antisemitism on Harvard’s campus, especially since the Oct. 7 attacks, it would be shocking if the Board of Overseers and Harvard Management Company thought protecting Harvard’s Jewish students was so insignificant that the topic was not worthy of discussion at a single meeting,” Foxx said.
Penn has said it will turn documents over as a “rolling production,” but the Philadelphia Ivy League school “is signaling it won’t necessarily turn over all of the many documents the House Education Committee has requested by the Wednesday deadline,” ABC reported.