Virginia Foxx warns antisemitism on campuses will persist until universities intervene

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) argued that universities need to act if they want to end antisemitic acts by college students in the 2024-25 school year.

Last month, Foxx co-penned a letter with Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) that was sent to 10 different universities and outlined concrete plans on how they could prevent antisemitic harassment from happening on campus. Foxx said universities need to enforce policies that will hold students accountable for their “bad behavior,” and they will change nothing by only altering leadership and not policies.

“So you know what it’s like to have to teach people good behavior, and these students are not being taught good behavior, and they’re not being held accountable for their bad behavior,” the Virginia representative said on Fox News's Fox & Friends. “And until somebody at those universities does that, we’re going to continue to see the bad behavior, and that’s not what we want.”

Of the 10 different universities asked to detail their plans to stop antisemitism on campus, only Rutgers University responded. Foxx was “very pleased” that the school came up with a plan but added she would ensure Rutgers implemented it, as coming up with a plan is not merely enough to secure the safety of Jewish students and school staff.

Foxx also insisted that all students need to feel safe but that the safety of Jewish students is of particular importance due to how they are being targeted amid the war in Gaza.

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Antisemitism on college campuses has been a growing problem since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, with some schools canceling their graduations over protests happening on campus. Columbia University has already had to deal with its share of protests during the new school year, with several acts of vandalism on school grounds.

As such, House Republican leaders are threatening to withhold federal funds from universities if they do not crack down on student-led protests that are calling for a ceasefire in Israel. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) told the Washington Examiner that it “has never been more critical that no taxpayer dollars” go to universities that enable antisemitic practices.