House Education panel demands MIT turn over records for antisemitism investigation

The House Education Committee sent a letter to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Friday morning demanding the school turn over records relating to antisemitism on campus as the panel expands its investigation on the issue.  

Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) began her letter to MIT President Sally Kornbluth and MIT Corporation Chair Mark Gorenberg saying lawmakers are probing the school’s “response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students. We have grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of MIT’s response to antisemitism on campus.” 

The committee is asking MIT to hand over information regarding what antisemitic incidents have happened on campus, disciplinary actions towards those involved, information about foreign donations and documents about the enrollment of Jewish students.  

Antisemitism has surged domestically and abroad in the months since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and multiple U.S. colleges have come under fire for their response to the problem.

Foxx mentions in the letter the December hearing where Kornbluth and the then-presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania fell under fire for not directly saying threats for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment on campus.  

The presidents of both those two other elite schools have resigned from their positions.

MIT has until March 22 to turn over the information, making it the third of the three to which the committee has formally sent letters regarding antisemitism investigations.  

The GOP-controlled committee and Harvard have been battling during the investigation, with Republicans eventually subpoenaing the school — and expressing dissatisfaction with the records provided in response.

Foxx has continuously said Harvard has not provided adequate information, while the school contends the thousands of documents the school has turned over are relevant to the investigation.