In a letter sent to Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and the other members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, the CEO and international president of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi), the world’s leading Jewish college fraternity, called on Congress to take immediate steps to protect Jewish college students at Columbia University and other campuses across the United States.
The April 25 letter states, “Does a Jewish student have to be killed on a college campus before you act? Yesterday morning, we woke up to the news that once again, Columbia is failing to act and has given unlawful protesters a 48-hour extension for ‘compliance.’ The president of Columbia cited free speech concerns as the reason for the extension, but what we are seeing is not about free speech. Universities, including Columbia, have not hesitated in many other instances to stifle or control speech on campus as they are allowed to do by law especially when it causes substantial disruption.”
The letter goes on to urge the congressional committee to act immediately.
“Acting now would send an unequivocal message that all people have the right to pursue an education in universities across this land. Please send this message by immediately suspending all federal financial assistance to Columbia University pending the outcome of a formal Title VI investigation and, if necessary, send the National Guard to restore order and protect Jewish students and faculty,” the letter continued.
“Our undergraduate members at Columbia University and other campuses want the same protections that universities provide to all other groups. They should not have to hide their backgrounds and beliefs because university administrators and campus law enforcement officials are unable or unwilling to act,” added AEPi CEO Rob Derdiger. “As the largest and leading Jewish fraternity in the world, we are concerned for our members’ safety and for the safety of the entire Jewish campus community. The time to act is now … before it is too late.”
