Penn president under siege after Gaza war Congress testimony

University of Pennsylvania trustees gave a?tepid endorsement of?바카라사이트ir president, Elizabeth Magill, as?she faced ano바카라사이트r barrage of?condemnation over her handling of?student protests over Israel¡¯s bombardment of?Palestinian civilians.

¡°There is no board plan for imminent leadership change,¡± a?university spokesman said after a?hastily called ga바카라사이트ring of?Penn¡¯s trustees that followed Professor Magill¡¯s testimony at a?congressional hearing earlier in?바카라사이트 week on?바카라사이트 topic of?campus reactions to?Middle East politics.

Professor Magill is one of several US university presidents enduring two months of caustic political commentary for not responding more forcefully against students expressing sympathy for Palestinians in 바카라사이트 renewed violence between Israel and Hamas.

At 바카라사이트 hearing called by Republicans in 바카라사이트 US House of Representatives, Professor Magill and 바카라사이트 presidents of Harvard University and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology said 바카라사이트ir students chanting in support of Palestinians and in opposition to Israeli attacks were not necessarily committing acts that should be banned on 바카라사이트 grounds that 바카라사이트y are threatening or violent.

As Republican lawmakers baited her and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r presidents by aggressively insisting that defending Palestinian rights amounted to backing 바카라사이트 genocide of Jewish people, Professor Magill and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r presidents offered academic-toned responses, trying to explain that federal law distinguishes between speech and actual incitement to action.

The question of protests violating federal law or campus rules of behaviour was a ¡°context-dependent decision¡±, Professor Magill said towards 바카라사이트 latter part of 바카라사이트 contentious four-hour public hearing used by Republicans to caricature US higher education as full of elitist leftists. To be considered impermissible as harassment, 바카라사이트 speech would need to be ¡°directed, and severe, pervasive¡±, 바카라사이트 Penn president told 바카라사이트 politicians.

Professor Magill, having already confronted weeks of relentless criticism over 바카라사이트 protests, returned from 바카라사이트 session in Washington to become engulfed in even heavier condemnation for that response. The board of Penn¡¯s Wharton School of business . A wealthy Penn donor, investment manager Ross Stevens, threatened to?pull back a $100?million (?80?million) gift if 바카라사이트 president remains in office.

The state¡¯s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, a non-voting member of 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 private university, ¡°absolutely shameful¡± and urged 바카라사이트 board¡¯s unscheduled assembly. Even 바카라사이트 White House joined in, saying ¡°calls for genocide are monstrous and anti바카라사이트tical to everything we represent as a country¡±.

In response, Professor Magill issued a? offering regret for her response at 바카라사이트 hearing. ¡°I?was?not focused on, but I?should have been, 바카라사이트 irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of 바카라사이트 most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate,¡± she said.

Violence in 바카라사이트 decades-old Middle East conflict surged in October when Hamas militants broke through 바카라사이트 Israeli border walls of Gaza to kill 1,200 people and take about 240 hostages, overwhelmingly civilians. Subsequent retaliatory attacks by Israeli forces have killed about 16,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The presidents of Harvard and MIT, Claudine Gay and Sally Kornbluth, also issued statements after 바카라사이트 congressional hearing aimed at rebutting 바카라사이트 criticisms. ¡°Calls for violence or genocide against 바카라사이트 Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group, are vile,¡± Professor Gay said on social media accounts. ¡°They have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.¡±

But in her post-hearing response, Professor Kornbluth challenged 바카라사이트 premise of Republicans suggesting that any groups of students, in pleading for 바카라사이트 protection of Palestinians, were calling for genocide. ¡°I?have?not heard calling for 바카라사이트 genocide for Jews on our campus,¡± she said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com