University President Michael Schill will testify before Congress at a May 23 hearing, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced Monday.
The committee hearing, titled “Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos,” will feature testimony from Schill as well as the leaders of Rutgers University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
“Over the last several days, the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers have made shocking concessions to the unlawful antisemitic encampments on their campuses,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the committee’s chairwoman, said in a Monday news release. “They have surrendered to antisemitic radicals in despicable displays of cowardice. As a result of these gravely concerning actions, the Committee believes it’s necessary to reevaluate the scope of the May 23 hearing and bring in the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers—along with UCLA—to testify before the Committee.”
The presidents of Yale University and the University of Michigan were originally slated to appear at the hearing but will now appear for transcribed interviews at a later date, according to the release.
Schill has come under fire from Jewish organizations since his administration reached an agreement with organizers of the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow on April 29. The Anti-Defamation League Midwest, StandWithUs and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law all called for his resignation for what they call an inadequate response to antisemitism on campus. Schill addressed several recent incidents of antisemitism at NU in a Tuesday evening video message to the University community.
Foxx’s committee has previously called the presidents of Harvard University, The University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University to testify on their responses to pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay and former Penn President Liz Magill both resigned from their positions following their testimony before the committee in December.
Wendy Khabie, a national co-chair for the Coalition Against Antisemitism at NU, said the organization was “shocked and horrified” by the agreement between administrators and demonstrators and hopes the committee will hold the University accountable for failing to create a safe space for Jewish students on campus.
“I would say to Congress, please ask the difficult questions that will hopefully yield the answers that we’ve been waiting to hear, and hold Northwestern accountable,” Khabie said.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
