Harvard University subpoenaed by Congress

Harvard University finds itself yet again in the crosshairs of the Supreme Court, as Friday it was served again with a subpoena regarding the University’s response to anti-Semitism on campus following the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7th.

You might recall that Harvard’s then-President, Claudine Gay, testified before a Congressional committee in December 2023; in the aftermath of the heated exchange with Rep.  Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), much doubt was cast on Harvard’s commitment to defending the rights of Jewish students.

This exchange occurred during those hearings:

“At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?” Stefanik asked.

“It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded.

And while ex-President Gay did ultimately apologize for her handling of the questions.   She stated: “Substantively, I failed to convey what is my truth,” Gay added.

Nevertheless, the damage was done, and President Gay was forced to resign.

However, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce has not concluded its castigations of the University, and Friday, it opened a formal investigation into whether Harvard has done enough notably, to ensure the safety of Jewish students on-campus.  Notably, despite Harvard’s claims that they have done everything to both defend Jewish students, while also respecting the free-speech rights of those who are protesting, the Committee has gotten more aggressive.  According the Wall Street Journal, this time, the Committee has warned Harvard that its previous responses to inquiries fell far short of investigative demands.  Plus, this time, the subpoena is for all of the minutes/summaries of meetings of Harvard’s governing bodies: the so-called Harvard Corporation, and its Board of Overseers, going all the way back to October 7th.  Thus far, Harvard has turned over 2,516 pages of documents, per Inside Higher Ed.

To what extent are these requests in response to the pressure of Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge-fund investor who founded Pershing Square Capital Management?  Ackman has long been putting pressure on Harvard to abandon affirmative action and DEI practices, and in fact wrote his undergraduate thesis about college admissions.  His undergraduate thesis was entitled “Scaling the Ivy Wall: the Jewish and Asian-American Experience in Harvard Admissions.”  Obsessed much?

Although he says he wants to be a positive force at the school, Bill Ackman was instrumental in claiming that Dr. Claudine Gay was hired as the University’s President because of her race (Black) and gender (female).  Additionally, he pressured Harvard to release the names of students who voiced anti-Israel statements, so that he could create a blacklisted and blocked from working on Wall Street and in other elite corporate roles.  Mr. Ackman claims to have sought repeatedly to get in touch with Dr. Claudine Gay regarding Harvard’s response to the aggressively pro-Palestinian protests, to no avail.

Notably, former Harvard President and US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has recommended caution in this matter.   On the platform formerly known as Twitter, Larry wrote: “But please everybody, take a deep breath. Many in these groups never saw the statement before it went out. In some cases those approving did not understand exactly what they were approving.”

But another question looms large: with this subpoena, is Congress sending a message to the rest of higher education?  Is Harvard, as one of the world’s most prestigious institutions, becoming the scapegoat of a broader “woke” (or conversely, a conservative) agenda?

According to Inside Higher Ed, in the 157 years of the House Education Committee, it has never subpoenaed a college or university: until now. Some are saying that Republican influences are sending a message to elite colleges that they are “on watch”.   Do lawmakers have the responsibility to curtail thought on campuses, or should the Ivory Tower be allowed free reign?  Is academic freedom at risk, or is the Committee simply defending the rights of students (in this case, Jewish and Israeli students) who felt threatened by the vociferous pro-Palestinian demonstrations?

This story is still developing…