A prominent Cornell University professor called the Ivy League president's recent statement about continued anti-Semitism on campus mere “window dressing” as the university faces the threat of having its federal funding stripped.
William Jacobson, a clinical professor who joined Cornell Law School in 2007, said, “The day after a Congressional letter that jeopardized Cornell's federal funding, Cornell's government's response was that it had done nothing.'' “It looks like a window-dressing operation to make it appear that there is no real deal.” said in a statement to FOX News Digital.
On Thursday, Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack sent a letter to the student body condemning anti-Semitic incidents on the prestigious university's campus.
“This morning, we became aware of a social media post in which a Cornell University student allegedly declared that 'Zionists should die.' If we determine that the content was posted by someone else, they will be held fully accountable and subject to appropriate sanctions,” Pollack wrote. “This post is heinous and we condemn it in the strongest terms.”
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William A. Jacobson, a clinical professor who joined Cornell Law School in 2007, called on Cornell's Board of Trustees to support Jewish students. (Getty/FOX)
On Thursday, Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said: launched a probe Damage to four top universities over their handling of anti-Semitism on campus.
Smith said Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology all failed to “adequately protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment.”
House Republicans questioned their tax-exempt status and whether they were fulfilling their nonprofit educational mission.
“Given your universities’ disappointing and lackluster response to the Hamas attack and their subsequent failure to adequately protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment, we recommend that your universities receive these benefits. “I question whether the requirements for this are met,'' Professor Smith wrote. Advantageous economic benefits derived from receiving tax-exempt status.
A man walks on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, on November 3, 2023. The university canceled classes after one of his students was accused of making violent anti-Semitic threats. (Matt Burkhart/Getty Images)
Smith's letter also accused the four universities of not consistently protecting free speech on their campuses and alleging that they have disciplined students and staff on other issues.
“Finally, as the U.S. House of Representatives committee with primary jurisdiction over the treatment of tax-exempt institutions and their contributions, we need to reconsider the current benefits and tax treatment afforded to your institution. I am wondering if there is,” Smith wrote.
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Smith called on the university to provide a policy regarding the right to free speech.
He also called on universities to ask more about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs on campus and whether these efforts benefit Jewish students.
Universities have until January 24 to respond.
(L-R) Cornell University President Martha Pollack, Cornell Tech President Daniel Huttenlocker, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrate the opening of Cornell Tech's new campus on Roosevelt Island on September 13. Attended the commemorative inauguration ceremony. New York City, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In response to Pollack's statement and Smith's letter, Jacobson pointed to the university's DEI culture as the root cause of continued anti-Semitism.
“The issue is not whether what some students posted on their personal social media is hateful, but rather the story of oppression and decolonization by false oppressors who are leaving Israel and the Jewish people. It is a DEI culture on campus that enables and encourages such hatred based on “dehumanization,'' Jacobson said.
The Cornell University professor said the government appears to be “doubling down on DEI” rather than abolishing it completely.
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“The administration is not eliminating DEI, but rather strengthening it,” Jacobson said. “I renew my call on the Cornell University administration and Board of Trustees to begin the process of bridging group identity divides on campus and return the focus to academics and individual rights and dignity.”
Representative Jason Smith and Cornell University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
