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Home ยป News ยป Top News ยป House Committee Demands Answers from Bowdoin College Over Antisemitism Concerns
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House Committee Demands Answers from Bowdoin College Over Antisemitism Concerns

Steve RobinsonBy Steve RobinsonMarch 28, 2025Updated:March 28, 20252 Comments3 Mins Read2K Views
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The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce has raised serious concerns about antisemitism at Bowdoin College, demanding detailed records related to a recent student protest and how the college responded.

In a letter dated March 27, 2025, addressed to Bowdoin President Safa Zaki and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Perper, Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-Utah) cited a โ€œnational explosion of campus antisemitismโ€ following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.

The letter specifically questioned the collegeโ€™s handling of a February 2025 protest organized by Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine. The group staged what the committee called an โ€œillegal encampmentโ€ inside the collegeโ€™s Smith Union from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10. Social media posts cited by the committee show the group calling for students to โ€œtrespass with usโ€ and declaring, โ€œLong live the Student Intifada.โ€

[RELATED: Bowdoin College Moved Slowly to Remove Epstein Pal Staley from Board…]

Bowdoin President Zaki reportedly acknowledged in a campus-wide email that the protest violated college policies, disrupted campus life, and made members of the community feel โ€œunwelcome, intimidated, and unsafe,โ€ the letter said.

The committee also expressed skepticism about Bowdoinโ€™s disciplinary actions, noting that while eight students were temporarily suspended and about 50 are reportedly facing disciplinary proceedings, it was โ€œunclear whether these students will ultimately receive meaningful discipline.โ€

International students at Bowdoin may face immigration proceedings and deportation if they are found to have expressed support for terrorism while present in the U.S. on student visas.

[RELATED: Investigation Underway After Bowdoin Student Found Dead in Topsham Parking Lot…]

The letter warned that leniency could reflect a broader trend.

โ€œAt every school investigated by the Committee, the overwhelming majority of students facing disciplinary action for antisemitic harassment or other violations of policy received only minimal discipline,โ€ it stated, citing a 2024 report issued by the committee.

The lawmakers requested Bowdoin produce a range of documents by April 10, including all communications and records of disciplinary actions, details of any agreements made with protesters, and a list of all antisemitism-related incidents on campus since October 2023.

[RLATED: Maine Racial Equity Commission Appoints Bowdoin College Professor Theo Greene to โ€œLGBTQIA+ Seatโ€…]

โ€œThe Committee will not stand by while colleges allow antisemitism to flourish on their campuses,โ€ the letter said, invoking Congressโ€™s oversight authority and reminding the college of its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The letter was also sent to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

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Steve Robinson
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Steve Robinson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire. โ€ชHe can be reached by email at [email protected].

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Democrats are Demonic
Democrats are Demonic
1 year ago

Expel the students and faculty from this county.

9
Tony Hammond
Tony Hammond
1 year ago

It’s not antisemitism to oppose genocidal murder of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. God’s Chosen People have a very well documented 3000 year history of committing genocide of their neighbors. Support for the jews will be the downfall of Trump.

-10
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