WASHINGTON –Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent a letter to Northwestern University President Michael Schill and Board of Trustees Chair Peter J. Barris warning that the Committee is prepared to subpoena documents and information regarding the university’s deficient response to antisemitism on its campus. The letter comes after the administration’s repeated obstruction of the Committee’s investigation and President Schill’s evasive and misleading testimony before the Committee on May 23, 2024.
In the letter Foxx writes: “The Committee on Education and the Workforce (the Committee) is continuing to investigate the deficiency of Northwestern University’s response to antisemitism on its campus. Unfortunately, rather than being cooperative and transparent, Northwestern has obstructed the Committee’s investigation of this matter. Northwestern President Michael Schill impeded the Committee during his May 23, 2024, testimony by the fact that he pointedly refused to answer questions from Committee members, made statements at odds with the public record – including statements that contradicted the text of the Agreement on Deering Meadow (the Agreement) – and demonstrated an overall attitude of contempt for the Committee. President Schill’s obstructive conduct comes on top of Northwestern’s ongoing failure to comply with the Committee’s May 10 document request.”
Foxx continues: “The Committee will not tolerate Northwestern’s obstruction of its oversight and is prepared to compel the production of documents and testimony, if necessary. ... Northwestern’s capitulation to its antisemitic encampment and its impeding of the Committee’s oversight are unbecoming of a leading university. … It is inappropriate to expect taxpayers to continue providing federal funding while Northwestern appears to be in violation of its obligations to its Jewish students, faculty, and staff under Title VI and defies the Committee’s oversight.”
Foxx concludes by renewing and supplementing the May 10 request for documents including:
All documents and communications since April 24, 2024, referring and relating to the Northwestern Liberated Zone and/or the Agreement on Deering Meadow. The letter identifies custodians including President Schill and other senior Northwestern administrators and Board of Trustees members including Board Chair Peter Barris.
All documents and communications referring or relating to alleged antisemitic incidents at Northwestern since October 7, 2023, including:
A list of all student disciplinary/conduct cases relating to alleged antisemitic incidents at Northwestern since October 7, 2023;
A list of all faculty and staff disciplinary/conduct cases relating to alleged antisemitic incidents at Northwestern since October 7, 2023.
All Board of Trustees meeting minutes, notes, summaries, and recordings since April 24, 2024, whether formal or informal.
All Board of Trustees meeting minutes, notes, summaries, and recordings since October 7, 2023, referring or relating to antisemitism, whether formal or informal.
All documents referring and relating to the President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate.
All documents and communications referring or relating to Northwestern University-Qatar and/or Qatari donations/funding.
Background:
May 10, 2024:The Committee sent a letter to Northwestern President Michael Schill requesting information and documents related to the university’s response to numerous antisemitic incidents on campus.
May 17, 2024:Northwestern failed to provide documents responsive to the Committee’s requests. Of the 233 pages produced before the May 23 hearing, Northwestern admitted that 78 percent of them were not responsive to the Committee’s requests and 46 percent of them were already publicly available.
May 23, 2024:Northwestern President Schill testified before the Committee but inappropriately refused to answer several questions by Committee members and provided misleading statements.
