North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx, the Republican chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, criticized Harvard University's response to a subpoena issued last month.
Foxx expressed dissatisfaction with Harvard's compliance efforts, stating that the university's actions thus far are "shameful" and lacking in good faith. She highlighted heavy redactions in the documents provided, rendering several of them useless for the committee's investigation.
"I don’t know if it’s arrogance, ineptness or indifference that’s guiding Harvard," Foxx remarked, emphasizing that the committee is considering an appropriate response to what she described as Harvard's malfeasance.
Harvard's Response
Harvard University turned over 1,500 pages of documents to the House Education and Workforce Committee on Monday, following a subpoena issued as part of an investigation into antisemitic incidents on campus.
The documents include a summary of Harvard’s actions to address campus antisemitism, as stated by a university spokesperson. However, Foxx and other committee members found the response inadequate, citing heavy redactions throughout the documents.
Harvard officials reiterated their commitment to combating antisemitism but maintained that the subpoena was unwarranted. Despite this stance, the university stated that it would continue to cooperate with the committee's inquiry.
Committee's Investigation
The House Education and Workforce Committee's investigation into antisemitic incidents on college campuses has drawn attention to Harvard University's response. The subpoena issued to Harvard marks the first of its kind as part of this investigation.
The committee sought documents and communications related to antisemitic incidents, disciplinary actions taken by Harvard, and meeting minutes of the university's governing boards. While Harvard has provided thousands of pages of documents since January, concerns persist regarding the completeness and transparency of the university's response.
