Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth was embroiled in an antisemitism controversy in 2019 when she was the Provost of Duke University, according to documents from the US Department of Education (DOE).
A letter from the DOE to Duke President Dr. Vincent Price, dated Dec. 10, 2019, details the allegations that led to a complaint to the Office of Civil Rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The complaint in the DOE letter alleges a March 22-24, 2019, joint conference held by institutions of Duke and the University of North Carolina titled “Conflict over Gaza: People, Politics, and the Possibilities” featured “an offensive and anti-Semitic performance by a performer.”
The DOE acknowledged immediate actions taken by Duke to remedy the situation, including a training session with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to combat antisemitism and condemnation of antisemitism in the letter. However, the DOE also pointed out in the letter that Duke, through the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, “sponsored, organized, and invited the Conference participants, including the individual whose performance, in part, gave rise to the instant complaint.”
Following the incident, Duke and the DOE came to a resolution agreement, according to the letter. The agreement was reportedly signed Dec. 3, 2019, obligating the university to meet a number of requirements. These included a written statement condemning antisemitism and a revision of Duke’s policy on discrimination and harassment, the letter said. The agreement also reportedly required training to enforce the revised policy and annual meetings for students, staff and faculty to voice concerns regarding it for the following two academic years.
“This is the same climate of antisemitism that has led to the massacre of Jews throughout the centuries. This is not just harassment. This is our lives on the line.” @MIT student Talia Khan highlights the rise of antisemitism at MIT. pic.twitter.com/zXb03xodXb
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) December 5, 2023
Kornbluth has come under fire recently following her appearance at a Congressional hearing on antisemitism, specifically for refusing to say calls for genocide against Jews were a violation of MIT’s code of conduct.
In response to outcry from both the general public and university donors, both University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill and Harvard University President Claudine Gay have resigned their positions. (RELATED: Congressional Probe Into Campus Antisemitism Will Continue Even After Series Of Resignations)
With the resignations of Magill and Gay, focus has now turned to MIT to see if Kornbluth will follow.