At Wednesday's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) questioned college presidents about antisemitism on college campuses.
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00:00Thank you. This has been hard to sit through. And for all the Jews that are out there, I want to apologize to you because it's been tough for me listening to a lot of the repulsive and repugnant commentary that's been made, both in those asking questions and those answering them. But God puts us where he wants us to be.
00:15My 17-year-old this morning told me to wear my kippah, which I don't do often, but that may change, in honor of all of the students at these campuses that don't feel safe to wear it themselves.
00:25And for anyone who doubts my commitment to fighting on these issues, no matter what side of the aisle they're on, they can go talk to the two chairmen of the board and the one university president in Florida who no longer have their jobs because of me.
00:37So I encourage you to keep that in mind when you answer my questions. I think we heard a lot of lip service here.
00:42And Mr. Cole talked about the importance of free speech and equal access to education. So I'm going to start with those questions with Dr. Raymond.
00:49Dr. Raymond, and I encourage you, this may be happening right now. If a student is on your campus right now with a sign that says, no blacks on campus, what will happen to that student?
01:00Representative Fine, I first want to say that.
01:02I don't want to hear that. I want you to answer my question. A student, if someone, a student on your campus right now, walking around campus saying, no blacks on campus, what will happen to that student?
01:13They're just allowed to walk around. Good job. Free speech. We love that. Is that what would happen on your campus?
01:18No. Okay, good. Would they be invited to go get an education somewhere else, which is what I hope the answer is?
01:25It would be the same as someone who is inappropriately repugnantly.
01:29Would they be kicked out of campus if a student walked around your campus saying, no blacks on campus?
01:35Or would we like sit around a drum circle and talk about how great it is? What would happen? Would they be kicked off?
01:40Or is that free speech at Haverford College? No blacks on campus.
01:44Representative Fine, there is no room for discrimination.
01:48But there is room, because at your campus, in front of you, at a protest, students held up a sign saying, no Zionists on campus.
01:55They said, and there was no consequence for that.
01:58And you were at that event, and it happened on, it happened, sorry, it happened on September 30th, 2024.
02:05You were there.
02:07My second question I'm going to go to, do you believe the Jews are responsible for COVID?
02:11Is that some sort of conspiracy that we came up with to go after people, the Jewish students on your campus and professors were responsible for COVID,
02:19and it was like unleashed on people?
02:20Is that what you believe?
02:21Of course it's not.
02:23Okay, then why did you say, when a group, a terrorist group, wanted to have a presentation called COVID in Times of Genocide,
02:31how Israel uses COVID as a tool for settler colonialism in Palestine,
02:37your response to that name was that it was thoughtful and considerate.
02:41See, we can talk about what other people did.
02:43I'm interested in what you did.
02:45And in both of these instances, you're the one that did it.
02:47So do you think that title, COVID in Times of Genocide, how Israel uses COVID as a tool for settler colonialism in Palestine,
02:55was that thoughtful and considerate?
02:56Do you still believe that today?
02:58I did not say that about that title, and I do not believe that today.
03:03And Zionists are welcome on our campus, and Zionists are Jews and not Jews.
03:11And to go back to your other point, we do not tolerate discrimination against...
03:16Well, then let's get on to that.
03:17And Zionists are welcome on your campus.
03:18We will now talk about a professor that is on your campus.
03:21And I may actually give some of my time to Mr. Cole on this one, because he talked about equal access to education.
03:26You have a professor named Guangtan Ha, and I apologize, who said in August of 2024,
03:32the only way to deal with Zionists is to stop talking to them and refuse to let them waste your time.
03:39Now, I don't know what Professor Ha teaches,
03:41but I would assume there are some students in his class that are actually Zionists.
03:45So would it reduce their access to education if their professor publicly says,
03:51I should stop talking to Zionists, and I should not waste my time on them?
03:56How is that acceptable on your campus?
03:58Discrimination of any form is not acceptable.
04:02Okay, so does he still work on your campus?
04:05Does he still work there?
04:06Yes, he does.
04:07He does.
04:07And he also said something that said,
04:09the state of Israel must be dismantled and society denazified.
04:13Zionism is Nazism and is fascism.
04:15Zionism is racists.
04:17And that's okay.
04:18And you can continue to work on your campus when you make those statements.
04:21That's okay.
04:22Keep the job.
04:25Those statements are repugnant, and I do not defend those statements.
04:30But you do, because here's the last one I'm going to do.
04:32You had a graduate student.
04:34Let's see if I can find it here.
04:35You had a graduate student who, before he was hired, made a statement.
04:39Can I find it here?
04:40The problem with your place is there's so many.
04:42October 7th, 2023, you had a visiting assistant professor write,
04:46October 7th was a beautiful sight to wake up to this morning.
04:50End quote.
04:50And after this person made this statement,
04:53your school offered them another position in June of 2024.
04:57Why would you hire someone who says that October 7th was a beautiful sight to wake up to?
05:03Why would you hire that person?
05:08I am very sorry that I had someone on the faculty that would espouse those kinds of views.
05:14Good.
05:14You can go back and you can fire them.
05:16I yield back the balance of my time.
05:18I thank the gentleman.
05:18And I would ask to submit for the record the most recent ADL campus anti-Semitism card
05:28that includes a report card that includes the three universities here,
05:34as well as others, including some that have been in front of us,
05:37where if it is conjecture that this committee and our activities with hearings are not having an impact,
05:45we'll see that there has been impact in better grades that are coming on for some,
05:51still terrible grades for others.
05:53So without objection, I submit this for the record.