The president of the University of Pennsylvania Liz Magill resigned from her position, alongside the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Scott L Bok.
Liz Magill announced her resignation on Saturday, four days after which she hadn’t gave a straight answer on if students who spoke in support for the genocide of Jewish people should be punished. This follows immense pressure from donors and alumni alike for her resignation.
On Saturday, December 9th, she stated, “It has been my privilege to serve as president of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.”
Due to the highly controversial conflict in Gaza, hate towards Jewish people and Muslims alike has skyrocketed, especially on college campuses.
Liz Magill, alongside two other college leaders, were under oath at a Congressional hearing last week on the matter of the anti-semitism that is spreading on many college campuses.
Rep Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asked multiple times if “calling for the genocide of Jews” violated the code of conduct of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Calling for the genocide of Jews,” Rep Stefanik asked, “does that constitute bullying or harassment?”
“If it is directed and severe, pervasive, it is harassment,” Magill replied.
The congresswoman clarified, “So the answer is yes.”
Ms. Magill said, “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”
“That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context?” Rep Stefanik exclaimed.
We at The Wisconsin Advance do not generally give opinions, but we feel as if everyone should be able to agree that genocide is bad, and that these aren’t the type of questions that you should answer like a lawyer.
Some other college leaders face similar backlash due to controversies involving anti-semitism on campuses as well, however that deserves it’s own article.
Footnote: Our Twitter/X: @WiscAdvance Article wrote by Emma (@ProgressiveEmma on Twitter/X), on December 13, 2023. Copyright The Wisconsin Advance
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