Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., and fellow Pennsylvania Republican representatives Dan Meuser, Mike Kelly, John Joyce, M.D., Lloyd Smucker, and Brian Fitzpatrick signed a scathing open letter Thursday calling on University of Pennsylvania’s board to relieve President Elizabeth Magill of her duties.
Magill was one of multiple university presidents who faced scrutiny during a House hearing on antisemitism on campuses on Tuesday. The Pennsylvania state lawmakers' letter not only blasted the school president for UPenn’s series of recent controversies, but her very conduct at the hearing itself.
The state legislative members noted that before the Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel, "President Magill and the university hosted a Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which included antisemitic rhetoric and notable antisemites." They juxtaposed the school's previous intolerance for certain conservative figures, writing, "For a campus that censors conservative voices, this guest list, which included Roger Waters, was more than welcome."
The letter then scorched Magill for her testimony on Tuesday, which made headlines in multiple news outlets. The letter said that under questioning by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Magill "refused to say whether calling for the genocide of all Jewish people is bullying and harassment according to the university’s code of conduct, even smirking as she answered."
While the state's lawmakers slammed Magill specifically, they argued she is part of a much larger problem across elite academia in the United States.
"President Magill’s testimony is a clear reflection of the pervasive moral and educational failures prevalent at your university and other premier universities across the country," the letter said. "On December 5th, she confirmed that hateful, dangerous rhetoric is welcomed on the grounds of one of the oldest higher education institutions in the United States. Her actions in front of Congress were an embarrassment to the university, its student body, and its vast network of proud alumni."
The open letter then condemned her conduct, specifically, as "an utter disgrace to our commonwealth and the entire nation."
"Sadly, she has shown the university and the entire world that she is either incapable or unwilling to combat antisemitism on the university’s campus and take care of its student body," the letter concluded. "As such, we respectfully call on you to relieve President Magill of her duties as president to protect the lives of Jewish American students at the University of Pennsylvania."
The letter comes after the UPenn board of trustees held an emergency meeting on Thursday and a major donor pulled his $100 million gift to the school in response to Magill's hearing testimony.
The Board of Advisors of Wharton School of Business, a school within the University of Pennsylvania, reportedly sent a letter to Magill declaring that they are "deeply concerned about the dangerous and toxic culture on our campus that has been led by a select group of students and faculty and has been permitted by University leadership" to the point that "our board respectfully suggests to you and the Board of Trustees that the University requires new leadership with immediate effect."
According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, the board skewered Magill for her performance at the hearing, writing, "In light of your testimony yesterday before Congress, we demand the University clarify its position regarding any call for harm to any group of people immediately, change any policies that allow such conduct with immediate effect, and discipline all offenders expeditiously."
Magill has already attempted to walk back her rhetoric on whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people violated the Ivy League school’s code of conduct on bullying or harassment after she faced backlash.
"There was a moment during yesterday's congressional hearing on antisemitism when I was asked if a call for the genocide of Jewish people on our campus would violate our policies. In that moment, I was focused on our university's long-standing policies aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which says that speech alone is not punishable," she said in an X post on Wednesday evening. "I was not focused on, but I should have been, on the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate."
Stefanik responded by slamming her rhetoric as a "pathetic PR clean up attempt."
Magill, UPenn officials and the board of trustees did not respond to requests for comment before publication.
