UPenn students speak out after President Liz Magill testifies on Capitol Hill about antisemitism on campus
PHILADELPHIA - As University of Pennsylvania students were walking throughout campus and heading to class Tuesday, the school's president, Liz Magill, was in the hot seat on Capitol Hill, testifying about recent acts of antisemitism on the campus.
FOX 29's Gregory Payne reported the uneasy feelings of many UPenn students due to the horrific antisemitic incidents.
"It’s been kind of crazy," said Kayla Bleier, UPenn Sophomore. "A lot of things that have been happening that I have seen in movies like ‘oh this is what college is like’, protests and things my parents have warned me about, that people find any excuse to hide antisemitism behind any cause."
Since the October 7th attacks on Israel, the university has reported a number of antisemitic incidents.
Some incidents include messages that were projected on the walls of several campus buildings and also emails threatening violence against Penn’s Jewish community.
"When people say from the river to the sea, this is what it actually means. There is student groups protesting every week for things I really do not personally believe in, I think there are better answers to what is being chanted," said Bleier.
During the hearing, Magill was joined by the presidents of Harvard and MIT, who have also been dealing with similar issues, and were all questioned about it.
UPenn president testifies in congress about rise in antisemitism on college campuses
Liz Magill, President of the University of Pennsylvania, appeared before a congressional committee Tuesday to address the rise in antisemitism on college campuses.
"As a student of constitutional democracy, I know that we need both safety and free expression for universities," said President Magill. "Ultimately for democracies to thrive in these times, these competing principles can be difficult to balance to get it right and we must get this right, the stakes are too high."
The hearing also included issues surrounding Islamophobia on the campuses as well.
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When asked what UPenn is doing to control antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus, President Magill says they’ve been working with police to investigate cases involving these acts and disciplining those involved, expanding public safety officers at religious life centers and across campus, and creating a task force to provide support for those impacted.
"Penn would not be what it is without its strong Jewish community, past, present, and future," says Magill.
As for students on campus, some are encouraged to see Congress holding UPenn and other university leaders accountable.
"I don’t know what’s going to come of the President being in front of Congress. I don’t know if anything is going to change, but I know that there is a lot of students that are really trying to push and promote change and also education," said Bleier.