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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, announced Monday, May 6 that she postponed appearances by the presidents of Yale University and the University of Michigan and scheduled Holloway and Northwestern President Michael Schill to speak on May 23.
"Over the last several days, the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers have made shocking concessions to the unlawful antisemitic encampments on their campuses," Dr. Foxx said in a statement. "They have surrendered to antisemitic radicals in despicable displays of cowardice."
"As a result of these gravely concerning actions, the Committee believes it’s necessary to reevaluate the scope of the May 23 hearing and bring in the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers—along with UCLA—to testify before the Committee," Foxx said. "Yale and Michigan are by no means off the hook. Presidents Salovey and Ono will be required to appear before the Committee for transcribed interviews at a later date or risk deposition and subpoena.”
The protesters who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment for four days disrupted exams for about 1,000 students on Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus as reported by Daily Voice last week. They voluntarily left Thursday, May 2 after they said the university agreed to eight of their 10 demands, according to the protesters.
The protesters also removed more than 60 tents pitched on Voorhees Mall on Rutgers' College Avenue campus,
Two demands were not agreed to by the university: Rutgers said divesting from Israeli business interests and its partnership with Tel Aviv University are “things not in the President’s control,” but would be reviewed, according to the New York Daily News and other news outlets.
Dory Devlin, assistant vice president for news and media relations at Rutgers, said Holloway "will attend the hearing and discuss with committee members how Rutgers has worked to combat antisemitism, advance our educational mission, and handle protests on campus while prioritizing the safety of our students and community members."
Foxx's congressional committee also is investigating claims about antisemitism at Rutgers. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating charges of Islamophobia at the university.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, there have been numerous protests on campuses of colleges nationwide.
At Princeton University, 13 protesters were arrested last week, as reported by Daily Voice.
On Monday, May 6, Holloway told the Rutgers Board of Governors he was confident about how he handled the protests, according to NJ Advance Media, saying: "The result of our actions was a peaceful return to the normal course of business."
Holloway said he received thousands of emails from people objecting to how the university handled the protests, according to nj.com.
“We have work to do at Rutgers,” Holloway reportedly told the board of governors on Monday. “The healing will take time, but I am committed to it.”
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