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In a letter to New York State college and university presidents on Saturday, Dec. 9, Hochul said she had reached out to SUNY Chancellor John King “to ensure that it is SUNY’s policy that calling for the genocide of any group of people” on campuses violated the university’s code of conduct and would lead to “swift disciplinary action.”
“Chancellor King affirmed that was the case, and that SUNY will not tolerate antisemitism or hatred of any kind,” she said.
CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriquez assured Hochul that the same was true for CUNY schools.
The governor went on to warn that any college failing to address calls for violence could be found in violation of New York State Human Rights Law and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“As Governor of New York, I want to reinforce that colleges and universities not in compliance with federal and state laws protecting students against discrimination can be deemed ineligible to receive state and federal funds,” Hochul said.
“I assure you that if any school in New York State is found to be in violation, I will activate the State's Division of Human Rights to take aggressive enforcement action and will refer possible Title VI violations to the federal government.”
Hochul’s letter came days after disastrous Congressional testimony from the presidents of several Ivy League schools in which they failed to affirm that calling for the genocide of Jews violated campus harassment and bullying rules.
The repeated blunders, which came during heated questioning by New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, led to University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigning on Saturday, Dec. 9.
The presidents of Harvard and MIT have faced growing, bipartisan calls to follow suit.
“This week, like many Americans, I was shocked to see the presidents of several prominent universities – current leaders that are responsible for educating young minds who will grow into the leaders of tomorrow – fail to clearly and unequivocally denounce antisemitism and calls for genocide of the Jewish people on their college campuses,” Hochul said.
“The moral lapses that were evidenced by the disgraceful answers to questions posed during this week’s congressional hearing cannot and will not be tolerated here in the state of New York.”
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