>> This is the "Pbs newshour"
from weta studios in Washington
and in the west from the Walter
Cronkite school of journalism at
Arizona state university.
Geoff: The president of Harvard
university is still in her job
at this hour.
But there's been real debate
about whether she should be
allowed to stay.
There are dueling letters from
Harvard's broader community, one
calling on the university's
governing board to force her
out, and one asking the
university to support her.
One of those governing boards
has reportedly been meeting
about that today.
It comes in response to last
week's congressional hearing
about a rise in antisemitism on
some college campuses.
Laura barron-lopez has the
latest.
Laura: At Harvard university,
turmoil over the fate of the
school's president, Claudine
gay.
Gay, mit president Sally
Kornbluth, and now outgoing
university of Pennsylvania
president Liz Magill came under
fire last week for their
testimony in a house hearing on
rising anti-semitism on their
campuses.
On Friday, gay apologized for
her remarks to the Harvard
crimson, saying calls for
violence or genocide against the
jewish community, or any
religious or ethnic group are
vile, they have no place at
Harvard, and those who threaten
our jewish students will be held
to account.
The flash-point of last
Tuesday's hearing, a heated line
of questioning from Republican
representative Elise Stefanik,
who herself has been criticized
for not calling out antisemitism
in her own party.
>> Doctor gay, at Harvard, does
calling for the genocide of Jews
violate Harvard's rules of
bullying and harassment, yes or
no?
>> It can be, depending on the
context.
Laura: Stefanik was referring to
slogans that have been chanted
at pro-palestinian rallies on
campus, such as from the river
to the sea, palestine will be
free.
That phrase, adopted by hamas,
is seen by some as a call for
the destruction Israel and the
killing of jewish people.
Others say it's a decades-old
rallying call for a state where
all Palestinians can live freely
alongside Israelis.
>> I will ask you one more time.
Does calling for the genocide of
Jews violate Harvard's rules of
bullying and harassment?
Yes or no?
>> Anti-semitic rhetoric, when
it crosses into conduct that
amounts to bullying, harassment,
intimidation, that is actionable
conduct and we do take action.
>> So the answer is yes, that
calling for the genocide of Jews
violates Harvard code of
conduct, correct?
>> Again, it depends on the
context.
Laura: The day after the
hearing, rabbi David Wolpe
stepped down from the
university's antisemitism
advisory committee.
>> I felt as though there was a
profound disconnect.
Between the attitude of the
president's and my perception of
the seriousness of the
situation.
Laura: Wolpe, a visiting scholar
at Harvard's divinity school,
resigned Dover what he considers
inaction by the university to
confront antisemitism.
>> Some of the things that it
seemed to me Harvard needed to
do almost immediately were to
enforce the existing rules
against harassment and bullying
and so on more expeditiously.
That is, more immediately that
they were doing it, to undertake
a major education campaign about
judaism, anti-semitism, jewish
history.
Laura: Even as pressure mounts
for gay's resignation, more than
600 faculty signed a letter
saying Harvard should not cave
to political pressure.
Steven pinker, a professor of
psychology, didn't sign the
letter but said gay's firing
would not solve the problem.
>> The reason that I don't think
should be called on to resign is
that I think the problems run
much deeper and they should be
addressed directly rather than
through a sacrificial scapegoat.
I think that Harvard and
American universities in general
need a clear and conspicuous
policy on free speech so they
don't selectively squelch
speech.
Reprehensible speech should be
answered by more speech, by
being refuted, not by crime
being criminalized.
Laura: At university of
Pennsylvania, the consequences
were swift.
On Saturday, university
president Liz Magill announced
her resignation after donors,
politicians, and some students
called for her ouster.
Days before, she issued a public
apology.
>> I want to be clear, a call
for genocide of jewish people is
threatening, deeply so.
In my view, it would be
harassment or intimidation.
Laura: Magill's testimony last
week was similar to gay's.
Claire finkelstine is a
professor of law and philosophy
at u-penn.
He said while Magill is a
brilliant person, her testimony
was disastrous.
>> I'm not calling for a
restriction of criticisms of
Israel or criticisms of hamas or
what have you, political speech
and the ability to engage in it.
But what has gotten out of hand
is the idea that free speech on
campus has to include such a
level of openness to any kind of
speech that even the worst
threats and harassment should be
protected.
Laura: Before Magill's
resignation, more than 70
members of congress, all but
three of whom were Republican,
signed a letter demanding the
three presidents step aside.
They said the testimony lacked
moral clarity and illuminated
the problematic double standards
and dehumanization of jewish
communities.
Meanwhile, some Progressive
members, including the only
Palestinian American in
congress, Rashida tlaib, say
allegations of anti-semitism are
being weaponized to silence
legitimate criticisms of Israel.
>> Americans have a right to
speak up, Americans have a right
to the institutions they work at
or the people that represent
them to say, look, this is my
opinion, I believe you should
support X, Y, and Z.
Laura: House Republicans have
opened an investigation into the
three universities and more than
a dozen democratic lawmakers
asked schools to review and
update their policies.
And at mit, president Sally
Kornbluth has not apologized,
receiving support from her
university's governing board.
For the "Pbs newshour," I'm
Laura barron-lopez.
♪♪