Lawmakers Question Haverford College President on Antisemitism Accountability

Haverford College President Wendy Raymond faced intense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism, where she was criticized for her reluctance to discuss specific disciplinary actions taken against students or faculty accused of antisemitic conduct. Unlike the presidents of DePaul University and California Polytechnic State University, who provided some disciplinary statistics, Raymond maintained that Haverford does not publicize such outcomes, leading to frustration and threats from lawmakers to reconsider the school's federal funding. Lawmakers pressed Raymond on hypothetical and reported incidents, but she often declined to provide details or confirm specifics, drawing accusations of evasiveness and inadequate leadership. The hearing was part of a broader Republican effort to address and penalize what they see as insufficient action against antisemitism at colleges nationwide following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent campus protests. The proceedings also highlighted a shift in congressional focus from elite Ivy League institutions to smaller and more diverse colleges, underscoring concerns about the pervasiveness of antisemitism across the American higher education landscape. The debate reflects ongoing tensions between demands for transparency, free expression, and institutional responsibility in handling campus bias and hate speech.