After her controversial congressional testimony, hundreds of MIT alums criticized the school’s administration for supporting President Sally Kornbluth.
The argument is that her failure to address antisemitism has damaged MIT’s reputation. They urge concrete actions. These include consequences for rule violations and establishing an antisemitism-specific task force. They also want a public announcement regarding expulsion for advocating violence against civilians.
The alums want assurance that calls for genocide against Jewish students will be treated as harassment. And ultimately met with disciplinary action.
The letter highlights parts of President Sally Kornbluth’s testimony in Washington. In one part, she implied that calls for the genocide of Jews are not precisely bullying and harassment. Of course, she added that it depends on context. But the alums are unhappy.
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They asked in their letter. “Exactly what kind of message was the MIT Corporation trying to send to the MIT community, and especially its Jewish members, with such a statement so at odds with the overwhelming majority of the public?”
The alums believe that President Kornbluth’s failure to control antisemitism on MIT’s campus has caused a distraction. The effects of distraction are now spreading to MIT’s students and administration.
The letter continues. “We are alarmed to observe MIT earning a national reputation for antisemitism on President Kornbluth’s watch rather than for academic excellence. And joining a group of ignominious universities currently struggling with antisemitism on their campuses.”
The alumni mentioned MIT’s public reputation. And how it affects its ability to attract the best brains for its scientific work. They believe that what Kornbluth said does not represent those ideals well.
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But they are even more saddened by the fact that the executive board of the MIT Corporation still supports her.
“Notably, President Kornbluth was the only University president that did not issue any apology or clarification in response to the intense backlash to her Congressional testimony,” their letter reads.
“We defy the MIT Corporation to find any other point of common agreement amongst these diverse public figures, or indeed any prominent public figure who found President Kornbluth’s testimony from December 5, 2023, to be acceptable,” the letter reads.
The alumni are now pushing the school to “enforce meaningful consequences for the individuals who violate MIT’s rules. They want the creation of an antisemitism-specific task force on campus, and a public announcement that calls for violence against civilians are grounds for expulsion.
They even want an amendment to the MIT Code of Conduct to include the new additions.
“We look forward to hearing about concrete actions that the MIT administration is taking to right this flailing ship and create a protected, supported, and safe environment for the entire MIT community without exception.”
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