Alumni, students, and donors of the University of Pennsylvania are calling for the resignation of Elizabeth Magill as president of the school. This comes after her testimony at a congressional hearing regarding campus antisemitism, where she avoided answering whether students calling for the genocide of Jews violated the university’s code of conduct.
Among those questioning her leadership is Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who deemed her statements “unacceptable.” He emphasized the importance of condemning genocide and stated that leaders have a responsibility to speak with moral clarity, which Magill failed to demonstrate.
Governor Shapiro believes the university’s board of trustees should hold a meeting soon to address the situation, despite the next regular public meeting not being scheduled until February.
Although the University of Pennsylvania is a private institution, the state’s governor serves as a nonvoting board member. As of now, the university has not responded to requests for comment.
Marc Rowan, the chief of Apollo Group and board chair at Penn’s business school, the Wharton School, has written to the board of trustees urging them to withdraw their support for Magill. He questions the extent of damage the university is willing to accept and emphasizes the need for fundamental change at UPenn.
Over 1,500 signatures have been collected on a petition demanding Magill’s resignation. During the congressional hearing, Representative Elise Stefanik asked Magill if calling for the genocide of Jews violated the university’s rules or code of conduct, to which Magill responded that it could be considered harassment.
Magill’s response sparked further questioning from Stefanik, who insisted on a clear answer. Eventually, Magill admitted that calling for the genocide of Jews could indeed be considered bullying or harassment.
Rowan has been advocating for both Magill and Scott L. Bok, the chairman of the university’s board, to step down for some time. He raised concerns about Magill’s decision to allow a Palestinian writers’ conference on campus and her initial tepid statement against Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Similar controversies have arisen at Harvard, where President Claudine Gay has faced criticism from donors, students, and alumni over her statements regarding calls for the genocide of Jews and Harvard’s code of conduct. Gay clarified that while Harvard values free expression, calls for violence or genocide against any religious or ethnic group have no place at the university.
Harvard released a statement from Gay, emphasizing that calls for violence against Jewish students will not be condoned and those responsible will be held accountable. However, the statement did not specify what constitutes a threat or whether certain chants mentioned during the hearing qualify. A free speech advocacy group stated that determining if speech qualifies as harassment depends on a pattern of targeted behavior rather than a single offensive utterance.