The House Education Committee announced on Wednesday that it has sent a letter to Rutgers University requesting information regarding its handling of antisemitism on campus, making it the fifth college the panel is probing on the issue, The Hill reported.
“The Committee on Education and the Workforce is investigating Rutgers University’s response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students. I have grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of Rutgers’ response to antisemitism on its campuses,” Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in her letter, which is similar to ones the committee sent to Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Columbia University.
The letter lists incidents of antisemitism the committee says the school did not adequately address and requests information dating back to 2021 on antisemitic activity, what disciplinary actions were taken and communications that occurred between university officials on the subject.
“Rutgers stands out for the intensity and pervasiveness of antisemitism on its campuses. Rutgers senior administrators, faculty, staff, academic departments and centers, and student organizations have contributed to the development of a pervasive climate of antisemitism,” the letter reads.
Campus antisemitism has been on the rise since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In December, Rutgers suspended the anti-Israel organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) because of multiple complaints alleging it disrupted classes, a program, meals and students studying.
There were also allegations of vandalism at the Business School while an organization event was taking place.
The House Education Committee launched the probe on campus antisemitism after a December hearing in which the presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT equivocated when asked whether calls for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment on campus.
Harvard President Claudine Gay and Penn President Elizabeth Magill both resigned in the wake of the hearing. MIT President Sally Kornbluth testified at the same hearing but has thus far emerged relatively unscathed, with MIT's governing board expressing its firm support for her.
The investigations began with those three schools, with Harvard’s probe recently escalating to a subpoena from Foxx.