Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Thursday that despite the words of the Columbia University president the day before, actions of combatting antisemitism on the New York campus tell a different story and that one way to effect change is to hit universities like it in the "pocketbook."
Bean, a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, joined "Wake Up America" to talk about the testimony of Columbia President Nemat Shafik on Wednesday.
Though Shafik avoided the pitfalls of the Harvard and Pennsylvania presidents who resigned after their hearings in December, Bean asserted that Columbia is a "hate-filled campus" nonetheless.
"And you would think, with 25% of underclassmen at Columbia [being] Jewish, that this would be a top priority. They wouldn't do anything until every student was safe," Bean said. "They have kicked out so few people; I don't think anybody has been expelled. I jokingly said they put people on double secret probation, which really doesn't solve the problem," referencing a line from the 1978 movie "Animal House."
"This is just a hate-filled campus right now. And so here's the good news: The good news is America is waking up to it. Wake up, America. We're looking at these campuses and they're out of control," Bean added. "The voters see what's happening, and I think the donors, more importantly, graduates of Columbia see it, and unfortunately, sometimes the only way you can make change is to hit them in the pocketbook."
Bean commended Shafik for not couching her position of condemning antisemitism, as her erstwhile Ivy League colleagues did in December. However, at the same time that Shafik was testifying on Capitol Hill, a pro-Palestine protest was taking place on the lawn at Columbia.
"She was coached. She gave a much better presentation. And as you said, she condemned antisemitism without using the phrase, 'It depends on the context,' " Bean said. "But her words didn't match the actions. We saw video of just the campus being on fire with hate.
"And then we had a pre-press conference with Jewish students who said they're feeling very unsafe. … It's bewildering why this is happening. It's 2024 and the university president doesn't seem to make this a priority and keeping students safe on campus."
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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