Why US College Presidents Are Under Pressure Over Antisemitism on Campus

A battle has been waged for years on US campuses over how to balance the right to free speech with the need to provide a space where students feel safe. It came to a crescendo with demands by students, alumni, donors and politicians for the resignation of presidents of three elite universities. The calls were a response to antisemitism at the schools in the wake of the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.

Pressure has been focused on the leaders of the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Penn’s president, Liz Magill, resigned on Dec. 9, along with Scott Bok, the chairman of the university’s board. MIT President Sally Kornbluth received unequivocal backing from the school’s board on Dec. 7. And Harvard’s governing body announced its unanimous support of President Claudine Gay on Dec. 12.