A House committee requested documents Friday from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology regarding its response to antisemitic incidents—a day after two students filed a lawsuit alleging the university allowed antisemitism—making it the latest university subject to such a probe in recent months.
The request comes a day after two students filed a discrimination lawsuit against the university.
In a letter addressed to MIT President Sally Kornbluth and chairperson Mark Gorenberg, the House Education and the Workforce Committee said it is investigating the university for its “response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students.”
The committee—headed by chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.—requested that the Cambridge, Mass.-based university provide a cache of documents, including reports of all acts or incidents of antisemitism since January 2021, policies on donations from foreign sources and results of any disciplinary processes related to “conduct involving the targeting of Jews, Israelis, Zionists or Zionism” since January 2021.
The university must provide the requested information and documents by 5 p.m. ET on March 22, according to the letter.
MIT told Forbes it is examining the letter from the committee, adding that it is “committed to providing a response to the Committee’s questions.”
“We have grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of MIT’s response to antisemitism on its campus,” the letter said.
On Thursday, two Jewish MIT students filed a federal lawsuit alleging the university allowed antisemitic activities to occur on campus and tolerated the intimidation and harassment of Jewish students and faculty. Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University and the University of Pennsylvania have faced similar lawsuits.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a number of other universities, colleges and K-12 schools have been the subject of federal probes by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for alleged violations of “shared ancestry” under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Separately, the House committee announced a formal investigation into MIT, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania on Dec. 7, following Congressional testimony from Kornbluth, along with former Harvard President Claudine Gay Harvard and former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill. The three testified before Congress on Dec. 5 about their handling of antisemitism on their respective campuses, resulting in intense public scrutiny. Magill resigned on Dec. 9 and Gay—who was also facing newfound plagiarism allegations—resigned the following month.
MIT Students Accuse University Of Allowing Antisemitism In Latest University Discrimination Lawsuit (Forbes)
Harvard Faces Federal Investigation, Joining These Other Universities—Here’s What Led To It (Forbes)
College Presidents Under Fire After Dodging Questions About Antisemitism (The New York Times)