Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) sent a letter to Harvard University on Thursday criticizing the institution for allowing an alleged antisemitic attacker to graduate in May, although Harvard disputed the accusation.
The letter comes on the heels of a rocky several months for the elite university, which has been hit by accusations of protecting antisemitism and not enforcing campus bylaws by taking disciplinary action against pro-Palestinian students.
Harvard told the Washington Examiner that the student in question is not scheduled to graduate in May 2024.
“Justice for this incident should have been served quickly, and the delay of justice that specifically allows an antisemitic student to graduate is an affront to accountability and demonstrates the cultural rot of Harvard University’s leadership that has allowed antisemitism to continue,” Stefanik said in the letter to Harvard interim president Alan Garber and senior fellow Penny Pritzker.
The New York Republican and Harvard alumna is referring to an incident from Oct. 18, shortly after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, during which members of the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee allegedly surrounded and physically assaulted an Israeli Harvard Business School student who was recording a “die-in” protest.
One of the alleged attackers is set to graduate in May, according to the letter, and a letter from the alleged victim’s lawyers said court date negotiations have been delayed — meaning one of the alleged assailants could graduate with a degree from Harvard before being held legally accountable.
However, Harvard denied that was the case.
“The student referenced in Rep. Stefanik’s April 11 letter to the University is not scheduled to graduate in May 2024,” Harvard spokesman Jonathan Swain told the Washington Examiner. “Antisemitism has no place in the Harvard community. We remain steadfast in our commitment to combating antisemitism, in whatever form it manifests itself, and our ongoing efforts to ensure that Jewish students feel safe, valued, and embraced at Harvard.”
Attorneys for the alleged victim had protested that the student should not receive the distinction of being a Harvard graduate before the disciplinary process concluded.
“The lack of any tangible developments in this investigation is unacceptable as [redacted name] rapidly approaches graduation,” the letter from the alleged victim’s attorneys at Holtzman Vogel said. “The protracted delay all but ensures that at least one of the offending individuals will have the privilege of graduating from Harvard without facing any serious academic or professional consequences for his actions.”
“The message of Harvard University is loud and clear: Harvard students can harass and assault a Jewish individual on camera with impunity, advertise the attack on social media, and still receive a Harvard degree, scot-free,” the letter continued.
Stefanik was told by since-ousted Harvard President Claudine Gay that “disciplinary processes are underway” when Gay testified before Congress in the now-infamous hearing that contributed to her resignation. But Stefanik said the school has “produced no evidence of punishment against those who have committed crimes and violated Harvard’s code of conduct.”
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“Allowing this student to gain the title of Harvard graduate disgraces all who have come before him and erodes the distinction of a once sought after degree,” Stefanik stated. “At a time when support and applications for Harvard have fallen, university leadership has continuously chosen to side with those who hate Jewish students and faculty and failed to keep them safe.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Harvard for comment.
