As leaders from top colleges are set to testify before Congress about combatting antisemitism on campus, experts are offering advice for how they can encourage respectful debate over controversial topics like the Israel-Hamas war.

What You Need To Know

  • Three college presidents will testify before a House committee about stopping antisemitism on campuses
  • On Tuesday, a House committee will hear from the presidents of Harvard University, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania

  • The hearing was called in response to protests that have sprung up on campuses since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
  • Experts say schools can do more to facilitate respectful conversations

On Tuesday, a House committee will hear from the presidents of Harvard University, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania. The hearing was called in response to protests that have sprung up on campuses since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Committee chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said in a statement those have included “countless examples” of antisemitic incidents and “college administrators have largely stood by, allowing horrific rhetoric to fester and grow.”

Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education programming at PEN America, agrees antisemitism is on the rise. But he also points out that colleges and the country in general have also seen anti-Arab and anti-Muslim statements and threats since the war began. And all of that has campus administrators struggling to figure out how to respond.

“What's critical for universities to understand is that there is a high bar when it comes to student speech, when it comes to political speech, in the United States,” explains Friedman. “This is especially so at public universities where First Amendment applies. But even at private universities, most have pretty strong commitments to academic freedom to freedom of expression.”

PEN America published a campus free speech guide that includes responding to expressions of hate. It says “an aggressive disciplinary response” is warranted for hate crimes, harassment, and other criminal violations. But for lesser offenses, the focus is on showing empathy for those targeted and creating education opportunities for all.  Friedman explains options include facilitating teach-ins, condemning hate speech, and offering support to impacted students.

“I think we all have to get more accustomed to the idea, which is hard to, but that at the core of the university, and its purpose is a kind of everyday turbulence, you know, everyday disagreement,” he said.  

Students also need to make that adjustment. Friedman explains many young people question the value of free speech when they see it as allowing vitriol to circulate: “For a lot of students on campuses, we often see them mobilizing to shut down speech, when what they ought to do is maybe engage in counter speech.”

He encourages them to look at the ways free speech has helped further movements for justice and to lean into the protections it gives them to share their opinions.