Trucks drove around the University of Pennsylvania campus Friday carrying signs that read “Fire the President.” [Liz] Magill’, as pressure mounts on the university to take action against its leader.
The trucks also played a clip of Magill’s testimony at Tuesday’s congressional hearing, with Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-N.Y.) asking her: “Does calling for genocide of Jews violate Penn’s code of conduct regarding to bullying and harassment? Yes or no?”
Magill responds: “It’s a decision that depends on the context, Congressman.”
The poster shows photos, names and ages of Israeli kidnapping victims with the caption: “Here’s your context, Liz.”
The Ivy League school’s board of trustees held an emergency meeting Thursday to address the fallout from Magill’s disastrous testimony before Congress on Tuesday, which has already resulted in Wall Street titan Ross Stevens of Stone Ridge Asset Management , attempt to recover a $100 million donation and led to calls for his resignation.
A billboard at UPenn on Friday called for “Fire President Magill.” Robert Miller
In response to the appearance before Congress, which also included the presidents of MIT and Harvard, a group of 74 members of Congress wrote a letter to the boards of directors of the three universities asking them to “immediately remove each of these presidents of their positions”. their positions.”
Referring to the congressional appearances, the letter said: “The testimonies provided by the presidents of their institutions showed a complete absence of moral clarity and illuminated the problematic double standards and dehumanization of Jewish communities that their university presidents enabled.
“University presidents’ responses to questions intended to address the growing trend of anti-Semitism on college campuses were abhorrent.“
The board of directors of the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton business school, made up of some of the biggest and most powerful companies on Wall Street, also joined the chorus, saying they had lost confidence in Magill.
They wrote in a letter this week: “As confirmed yesterday in Congressional testimony, the University leadership does not share the values of our Board… Nor does it appear to understand the urgency of addressing the safety of our students on campus.” according to the Wall Street newspaper.
This was echoed in a statement from the Undergraduate Executive Committee, which wrote on Friday that they “unanimously support the actions expressed and taken by the Wharton Board of Advisors. “We are one with our colleagues on the Wharton Advisory Board in our collective commitment to implement all necessary measures for change,” according to the statement seen by The Post.
Magill recanted her appearance before Congress in a humiliating apology video released Thursday, where she said she was “not focused” on the issue and wanted to “make it clear” that calls for genocide were “evil, plain and simple.” .
On Thursday, after UPenn’s Board of Trustees meeting, a spokesperson said, “There is no board plan for an imminent leadership change.”
However, UPenn board members are planning another virtual meeting on Sunday as the school remains in crisis over its leadership, The Post has learned.
It is unclear whether the meeting, which comes after reports that Magill would be ousted on Friday, will make decisions about leadership changes at the school or whether it will simply be more concern about bad publicity.
Liz Magill is facing increasing pressure to step down as UPenn president. Penn/X
One source, who called the Board “cowardly,” says the decision to host another conversation on Sunday comes after an executive committee lunch on Thursday at which Magill was reprimanded.
The handful of trustees who met Thursday afternoon told the meeting that Magill should “think about whether she can be effective” as president, but they refused to force her to resign, the source added.
The board’s continued unwillingness to fire Magill is angering many who feel the only way for UPenn to save its reputation is to oust existing leaders.
“Magill did it to herself… I have no sympathy for her,” a source said of her desire to get rid of Magill.
The source added that they believe continued pressure from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has been outspoken in his criticism, could result in his ouster.
“Leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity, and Liz Magill failed that simple test,” Shapiro told Jewish Insider.
“Frankly, I thought his comments were absolutely disgraceful,” he said. “It should not be difficult to condemn genocide.”
“The governor won’t let her go…he wants her out,” the source added.
The Ivy League school’s board of directors held an emergency meeting Thursday. Robert Miller
A university spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
During Magill’s testimony Tuesday, he stated that UPenn has assembled a task force to “identify concrete, actionable recommendations.”
That plan includes hiring an expert who will help the university respond to anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other types of hate on campus, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer.
“No place is immune, and campuses, including ours, have recently experienced an unacceptable number of anti-Semitic incidents,” Magill testified. “I have condemned anti-Semitism publicly, regularly and in the strongest possible terms.”
Immediately after its appearance, a federal lawsuit was filed accusing the campus of being a hotbed of anti-Semitism long before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
A Canadian electrical engineering student who wanted to remain anonymous told The Post on Friday that students were stressed about the division on campus and the spotlight.
He said Israeli hostage posters were constantly being put up and taken down on campus.
“Every day they put up the missing signs and then take them down,” he said.
“Many students are extremely pro-Palestinian, especially on social media.
“It has caused a lot of stress.
“We’re constantly in the news and you can’t miss the truck driving around constantly with a big TV screen saying ‘kick out Magill.’
“We’ve started appearing in memes, saying the tunnels must be under UPenn.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn