Penn’s controversial semester: From antisemitic vandalism to Liz Magill’s testimony

University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill has resigned following her testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism that sparked intense bipartisan criticism. But it wasn’t the first controversy the school has experienced this semester.

Magill, who took over as president in July 2022, announced her resignation Saturday, saying in a statement that it was “a privilege to serve as president of this remarkable institution.” Scott L. Bok, chair of the university’s board of trustees, also resigned.

Magill and Bok’s departures come following Magill’s congressional testimony in which she was asked repeatedly if calling for genocide of Jewish people violates Penn’s rules or code of conduct. Magaill responded that “it is a context-dependent situation.” She later walked back her comments.

Since the hearing, Penn and Magill have experienced significant backlash. It is just the latest imbroglio related to the school’s handling of antisemitism in recent months.

Here is a rundown:

On Sept. 13, students discovered a swastika painted on the wall of a spray booth in a Stuart Weitzman School of Design building. In a message sent to students and faculty, Fritz Steiner, the design school’s dean, called the graffiti a “disgraceful, cowardly, antisemitic act.”

About a week later, on Sept. 21, days before Yom Kippur, Penn Hillel was vandalized by a man who “knocked over several pieces of furniture, while shouting antisemitic obscenities about Jewish people,” said Rabbi Gabe Greenberg, Penn Hillel’s executive director. No students were present and no one was hurt.

Penn Public Safety later said the person was “experiencing a crisis,” and was taken for evaluation. Prior to the vandalism, police were notified of a man turning over trash cans on Walnut Street and “acting erratically,” and later encountered him at Penn Hillel.

University officials, including Magill, acknowledged that the two acts of vandalism came in close proximity to the start of Palestine Writes Literature Festival, but there was no evidence of a connection between the event and the incidents.

Billed as the largest Palestinian literature gathering in North America, the Palestine Writes festival was scheduled to begin Sept. 22, the Friday after Penn Hillel was vandalized. It would run through the weekend, and wrap up just before the start of Yom Kippur.

However, an uproar over the festival began in the days before its start, due to speakers with a history of antisemitic remarks. Among the scheduled speakers were Roger Waters, cofounder of Pink Floyd, who the U.S. State Department said has “a long track record of using antisemitic tropes,” the Associated Press reported.

Some Jewish groups protested the festival, alleging that it threatened the safety of Jewish students. Critics also called for Penn to distance itself from the festival, and exclude certain speakers.

Palestinian and Arab student groups at Penn, as well as event organizers, defended the festival, calling it a “long-awaited affirmation of the belonging and worth.”

Penn officials including Magill acknowledged the uproar in a statement issued ahead of the festiva, but said that the university supports “the free exchange of ideas.”

“This includes the expression of views that are controversial and even those that are incompatible with our institutional values,” the statement read.

Penn Against the Occupation, Almaydan — the Forum of Penn Arab Graduate Students, and Penn Arab Students Society issued a statement in response, calling Penn’s stance “unprecedented.”

“The statement is a stinging reminder that when the university fails to provide accurate representation and impartial advocacy, it is up to us, the students, to take charge of our own narrative, ensuring no student feels unheard, invisible, or grossly misrepresented,” the groups wrote.

After the festival, Penn announced it would review its policies for granting access to outside groups that wanted to host events on campus, and add antisemitism awareness training for faculty, staff, and students. And Magill later said the university “should have moved faster” in opposing speakers with a history of antisemitism.

Susan Abulhawa, executive director of the festival, said Penn failed to adequately support its Palestinian students.

“There was not a single moment or statement of care for Penn’s Palestinian students who have been marginalized and maligned and subjected to violent propaganda year after year,” Abulhawa said, “and now during the festival through direct and specific incitement against them.”

The university’s handling of the festival prompted donors to declare they would withdraw their financial support, including Ronald S. Lauder, of the Estée Lauder cosmetic company.

Following Hamas’ attack on Israel Oct. 7, tensions escalated further. After the attack, Magill issued a statement saying that she and the university were ”horrified by and condemn Hamas’s terrorist assault on Israel and the violent atrocities against civilians.”

That prompted a walkout by several hundred faculty members, students, and other supporters of Palestinians on Oct. 16. Participants said that they were particularly incensed by Magill’s failure to mention Palestinians and the deaths of people in Gaza.

“You cannot write a statement that shows you have only been listening to some trustees and alums,” Eve M. Troutt Powell, a professor of history who specializes in the modern Middle East, said during the protest. “You cannot write a statement and assume that there’s no protection for all of us on this campus. This is the University of Pennsylvania. This is our university, too!”

The protest also included a truck plastered with a sign showing a photo of Magill alongside the message, “President Magill, are you ashamed? Resign today.”

Board chair Scott L. Bok said that Magill “and her existing university leadership team are the right group to take the university forward.”

On Nov. 9, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a federal complaint alleging that Penn had failed to address harassment and discrimination against its students. The group, which is aimed at advancing civil and human rights of Jewish people, quoted five Jewish Penn students in its complaint about the impacts they have faced due to antisemitic acts.

One student who was a dual citizen of the United States and Israel said that some rallies disturbed him so much that he was unable to sleep, attend classes, or concentrate on midterms. In one instance, the complaint said, he missed a class due to a rally blocking walkways.

The complaint also criticized the university for allowing the Palestine Writes festival to take place, and for not condemning some of its speakers forcefully enough.

“By allowing university departments to publish brochures and fliers advertising the event in Penn’s name, the university effectively took ownership of the festival and signaled to the Penn community that its campus is the place to go to engage in antisemitic rhetoric and activities,” the complaint read.

In a statement, Penn said that the school was “taking clear and comprehensive action to prevent, address, and respond to antisemitism.” Earlier in the month, it had announced a plan to combat antisemitism that included the creation of a task force and a student advisory group.

That plan came amid ongoing pressure from alumni and donors who had vowed to withhold donations until Magill and Bok resigned.

In late November, students protested again over the school’s decision to not allow a progressive Jewish group, Students at Penn Chavurah, to screen on campus a film critical of Israel.

The film, Israelism, has courted significant controversy, and the school cited “a potential negative response on campus” as a reason for their decision, The Inquirer reported. In a statement, Penn said that ”the safety and well-being of the Penn community is our top priority” and the screening was postponed after discussions about safety.

The school added that it was working to find a date in February for the film the be screened. Senior Jack Starobin, 21, a student organizer with Penn Chavurah, said the group planned to show it without permission.

“It’s alarming,” said Starobin, a political science and economics major. “One of the most fundamental aspects of a high-quality education is freedom of speech, freedom of expression and I feel like that freedom is being really jeopardized by this decision.”

The film follows the stories of “two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel” who travel to Israel and the West Bank, where they ”witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians,” the film’s website says.

Members of Congress in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce questioned three college presidents, Magill included, on Tuesday about their handling of antisemitism on campus.

Magill’s testimony came amid questioning from Rep. Elise M. Stefanik (R., N.Y.), who asked about the point at which hate speech is considered incitement of violence, and when students and faculty should be disciplined for it. Magill said that “it is a context-dependent situation.”

When repeatedly pressed by Stefanik, Magill said that “if the speech becomes conduct, it can be harassment,” and that speech “can be harassment.”

Magill’s testimony sparked swift backlash from high-profile figures. Among them were Gov. Josh Shapiro, Bucks County State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (a Penn grad), and Rabbi Gabe Greenberg of Penn Hillel. A Change.org petition calling for Magill’s resignation garnered more than 24,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

The school’s board of trustees held an emergency session that ended with Magill still in her position on Thursday. That day, the congressional committee that held the hearing announced that it had opened an investigation into Penn’s policies and disciplinary procedures.

Additionally, Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, withdrew a $100 million donation to the school, Axios reported.

Following the outcry over her testimony, Magill released a video statement. She said that during the hearing, she was focused on Penn’s “long-standing policies aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which say that speech alone is not punishable.”

“I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate,” Magill said. “It’s evil — plain and simple.”

The university’s policies, she added, needed to be clarified.

“We can and we will get this right,” she said.

As pressure continued to mount, trustees held an informal gathering Saturday evening. Shortly after, Magill’s resignation was announced.

“”It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions,” Magill said in a statement shared by Bok. He added that Magill would stay on as interim president until another interim is appointed.

Bok also announced his resignation Saturday, saying that while he was asked to remain in the role for the remainder of his term to assist in the presidential transition, “now was the right time to depart.” Julie Platt, who had served as the board’s vice chair, will lead the board until a permanent successor for Bok is appointed.

A replacement has not been announced for Magill.