The Full Belmonte, 12/10/2023
Penn president, board chair resign amid backlash to remarks on antisemitism
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill has resigned after intense criticism from donors, alumni and others of her testimony at a congressional hearing about antisemitism on college campuses.
“Scott L. Bok, chair of Penn’s board of trustees, said in a note to the campus community that Magill will stay in the role until an interim president is appointed. After that, she will remain a tenured faculty member at the university’s law school.
The note was sent shortly before Bok announced that he would step down as board chair. In a separate note, he wrote: ‘Former President Liz Magill last week made a very unfortunate misstep — consistent with that of two peer university leaders sitting alongside her — after five hours of aggressive questioning before a congressional committee. Following that, it became clear that her position was no longer tenable, and she and I concurrently decided that it was time for her to exit.’
‘The world should know that Liz Magill is a very good person and a talented leader who was beloved by her team,’ he said. ‘She is not the slightest bit antisemitic. Working with her was one of the great pleasures of my life.’
The moves came a day before Penn’s board of trustees was set to meet amid the growing leadership crisis at the Ivy League school in Philadelphia.
‘It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution,’ Magill said in the note to campus. ‘It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.’
Magill came under withering criticism after her testimony before a House committee on Tuesday in which she declined to state plainly that a call for genocide against Jews would violate the university’s code of conduct. Magill told Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) it would violate the school’s code of conduct ‘if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes.’ When pressed by Stefanik, Magill said: ‘It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.’
Magill appeared at the hearing alongside Harvard President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth. The presidents sought to defend values of free expression, while assuring that they would punish harassment or bullying. To many, though, the academics’ attempts at nuance came off as weak-kneed and legalistic equivocations.
Stefanik, who was among those who had called for Magill’s ouster, welcomed the news of her resignation. ‘One down. Two to go,’ Stefanik wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday evening. ‘This is only the very beginning of addressing the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has destroyed the most ‘prestigious’ higher education institutions in America.’
‘Harvard and @MIT, do the right thing,’ Stefanik wrote. ‘The world is watching.’
Spokespeople for Harvard and MIT did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. Gay, in an interview with the Harvard Crimson, apologized for remarks she made at the congressional hearing. Gay and Kornbluth gave similar answers to Magill’s when questioned by Stefanik.
Magill became Penn’s president in July 2022 after previously serving as provost at the University of Virginia and dean of Stanford Law School. Magill’s testimony alienated key constituents, including the state’s governor, the board of the Wharton School of Business, and an alumnus who is threatening to withhold a $100 million donation. A video Magill released late Wednesday, walking back her remarks from the hearing, did little to placate critics.
The presidents’ testimonies have reinvigorated a broader debate about where colleges draw the line between offensive speech and threatening conduct — an always thorny topic that has been rendered more so by the passions inflamed from the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza.
Claire Finkelstein, a professor of law and philosophy at Penn, said Friday she thinks the university’s guidelines on open expression would prohibit a call for genocide against Jews. And she’s troubled that anyone would suggest otherwise. Some lines need to be drawn, she said.
‘The place to start is by ruling out calls for violence against members of ethnic, religious or racial minorities,’ Finkelstein said. ‘That’s my own view, and I’m quite shocked to see it’s not the dominant view, apparently, of college presidents.’
Magill saw notable erosions of support in powerful places. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) described Magill’s comments as ‘absolutely shameful,’ telling reporters last week, ‘It should not be hard to condemn genocide.’ The Wharton board, whose members include some members of Penn’s board of trustees, said in a letter to Magill that Penn needed a change in leadership. And lawyers representing Ross Stevens, founder and chief executive of Stone Ridge Asset Management, said in a letter Thursday that he had grounds to rescind $100 million in shares donated to Penn. Stevens would discuss the matter ‘if, and when, there is a new university president in place,’ the letter said.
In contrast, the MIT Corporation, which is the board of trustees for the institute, expressed its ‘full and unreserved support’ for Kornbluth.
Still, on Friday, a letter signed by more than 70 members of Congress called on the governing boards for Harvard, Penn and MIT to remove the presidents.
On Saturday, the Wharton Board of Advisors issued a statement saying it looks forward to working with the board to take immediate action ‘to improve the safety and security of the entire Penn community.’
‘We are all united in our desire to see that Penn remains a world-class educational institution.’
The executive committee of Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, however, was critical Saturday of what it called ‘distortions and attacks’ on some faculty and students in recent months. ‘Trustees, donors, lobbying organizations, and members of Congress have repeatedly misrepresented the words and deeds of Penn faculty and students who have expressed concern for Palestinian civilians and criticized the war in Gaza, going so far as to suggest that faculty who have publicly condemned Hamas were Hamas supporters and that groups protesting genocide were calling for genocide,’ the group said in a statement.
‘These attacks strike at the heart of the mission of an educational institution: to foster open, critical, and rigorous research and teaching that can produce knowledge for the public good in a democratic society,’ the committee said.
At Penn, Jewish students on Friday said they were disappointed in Magill and some echoed calls for her to resign or be forced out. But they spoke more broadly of the fear that they and many other Jewish students nationally have reported experiencing since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Several said they worried that forcing out the president was an overly simple answer to the much more complicated problem of antisemitism….” Read more at Washington Post
6 dead as Nashville, Middle TN ravaged by tornadoes
“At least six people died in Middle Tennessee amid severe weather Saturday, three in Nashville and three in Clarksville. Damage was widespread across Middle Tennessee.”
READ MORE at Washington Post
Hill already thinking Trump '25
Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
“Republicans in Congress — savoring the potential return of former President Trump — are already laying the groundwork to quickly turn some of his 2025 plans into the law of the land.
The bills include plans to crack down on mask mandates, affirmative action and who can become a U.S. citizen, Axios' Sophia Cai reports.
Why it matters: Trump enjoys a powerful influence on the House GOP caucus — despite losing the 2020 election, his not-so-stellar record endorsing other Republicans, and the prospect of facing four felony trials as he runs for president next year.
Zoom in: Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), one of Trump's most loyal backers in Congress, introduced a bill over the summer to bar the Transportation Department from enforcing mask mandates, a popular cause in Trumpworld.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Vance this week introduced a bill to create a federal office to investigate claims of colleges using affirmative action in admissions.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), another Trump loyalist, has joined Vance in proposing bills that would make gender-affirming care for minors a felony, another priority on the far right's social agenda.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced legislation to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants after Trump vowed to sign an executive order to do the same on his first day back-in-office day.
Vance introduced a bill to eliminate EV subsidies shortly after Trump railed against them at an auto plant in Detroit.
Reality check: In today's Democrat-controlled Senate, most legislation proposed by Trump allies has no chance of becoming law. But Republicans have a good chance to win Senate control in November.” [Axios]
Trump campaign to allies: Put a sock in it
A commit-to-caucus card being distributed by the Trump campaign at Iowa rallies. Photo: Galen Bacharier/The Des Moines Register via Reuters
“Following our ‘Behind the Curtain’ column about the potential cabinet in a second Trump administration, top Trump campaign officials Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita issued a statement reiterating that ‘no aspect of future presidential staffing or policy announcements should be deemed official’ unless they come ‘directly from President Trump or an authorized member of his campaign team.’
‘Let us be even more specific, and blunt,’ the statement continues. ‘People publicly discussing potential administration jobs for themselves or their friends are, in fact, hurting President Trump … and themselves. These are an unwelcomed distraction.’
‘Second term policy priorities and staffing decisions will not — in no uncertain terms — be led by anonymous or thinly sourced speculation in mainstream media news stories.’ Read the statement.
Catch up quick:
Europeans have gone from denial of a Trump return to panic, the N.Y. Times' Jonathan Swan, Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman report:
‘European ambassadors and think tank officials have been making pilgrimages to associates of Mr. Trump to inquire about his intentions. At least one ambassador, Finland's Mikko Hautala, has reached out directly to Mr. Trump and sought to persuade him of his country's value to NATO as a new member.’ Gift link — No paywall.
A Wall Street Journal poll finds Trump leads President Biden among registered voters, 47% to 43%, in a national head-to-head matchup(margin of error: ±2.5 points.)
‘Trump's lead expands to 6 points, 37% to 31%, when five potential third-party and independent candidates are added to the mix. They take a combined 17% support, with Democrat-turned-independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drawing the most, at 8%..’” [Axios]
Ds join Rs in hammering Ivy testimony
Harvard president Claudine Gay, Penn president Liz Magill and MIT president Sally Kornbluth testified Tuesday. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“Members of Congress across the political spectrum are shocked and outraged about congressional testimony from the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn — and what it might mean for academia writ large.
Lawmakers are urging the three presidents to resign, launching investigations and even floating restrictions on federal funding for certain colleges.
Zoom in: Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a progressive who is one of a handful of Jewish lawmakers who has endorsed a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, told Axios she found the testimony ‘shocking.’
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), another Jewish progressive, told Axios: ‘They showed no emotion, they showed no angst, and they just gave their answers like it was a math test.’
The latest: A group of 72 Republicans and two Democrats sent a letter to the three colleges' governing boards calling for the presidents to be removed.
More than a dozen Democrats signed a letter to the colleges demanding they ‘review and update your school policies’ to ensure they protect Jewish students.” [Axios]
John Whitmire defeats Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston mayor’s race
BY JULIA MUELLER
“Texas state Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat, was projected to win the Houston mayoral race, beating out a fellow Democrat in a runoff to represent one of the most populous cities in the country.
Whitmire was up against Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee for the mayor’s seat after the race slipped into a runoff following the Nov. 7 general election.”
Read the full story here at Washington Post
Frozen housing market
Data: Redfin. Chart: Axios Visuals
Frozen housing market
Data: Redfin. Chart: Axios Visuals
“High mortgage rates have all but frozen home sales in America, Axios' Sami Sparber writes.
The big picture: The ‘lock-in effect’ is real — many people want to move, but don't want to swap their 3% interest rate for 7 or 8%.
As one real estate agent put it, 2023 was ‘the year your first home accidentally became your forever home.’
In October, the number of pending home sales — deals that went into contract — neared their lowest point in history.
Plus it got even harder for first-timers to make the leap to homeownership. You now have to earn $115,000 a year to afford a typical house.
What to watch: Mortgage rates would need to slide significantly to loosen homeowners' golden handcuffs.
Some buyers are starting to accept that rates probably won't fall back to pandemic levels.
Others have found deals on new constructions, townhomes or condos.High mortgage rates have all but frozen home sales in America, Axios' Sami Sparber writes.” [Axios]
Hollywood sign turns 100
Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
“Here's the iconic Hollywood sign yesterday — the 100th anniversary of the sign being lit up with 4,000 20-watt bulbs in 1923.
Each of the 45-foot letters got a new paint job last fall in preparation for the centennial, the L.A. Times reports.” [Axios]
Photo: Underwood Archives/Getty Images
The original sign — "HOLLYWOODLAND" — was put up to promote a new housing development in the hills overlooking L.A.