NY Governor Kathy Hochul on Saturday night announced that “Calls for genocide on college campuses violate New York’s Human Rights Law, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, & SUNY’s Code of Conduct,” and added: “We’re prepared to take enforcement action if colleges and universities are found not in compliance.”
The governor’s call followed reports that University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill had stepped down, having faced broad and sharp criticism of her appearance before the House Education committee last Tuesday (Disgraced UPenn President Liz Magill Resigns).
As we reported, Magill, alongside Harvard President Claudine Gay and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, refused to offer a straight answer to a simple question posed by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on whether calling for the genocide of Jews constituted bullying and harassment against Jewish students.
Stefanik asked Magill: “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct, yes or no?” To which Magill responded: “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment.”
Stefanik was aghast, saying, “Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? The speech [itself] is not harassment? This is unacceptable.”
Governor Hochul posted online the letter she sent NY State college and university presidents:
