A majority of Americans say that the presidents of Harvard and M.I.T. should resign after being humiliated over their antisemitism policies and that public funding should be withdrawn from universities that aren’t doing enough to tackle anti-Jewish hate.
Those are the damning results of a poll for DailyMail.com as the fall-out from a stormy congressional hearing continues to roil the nation’s most prestigious seats of learning.
It has already claimed the head of the University of Pennsylvania.
And voters have a clear message for Sally Kornbuth, president of M.I.T., and Harvard President Claudine Gay: Go now.
J.L. Partners polled 1000 likely voters for their views on universities and antisemitism. A majority said the presidents of Harvard and M.I.T. should resign
Some 56 percent of respondents said they should resign. Only 21 percent backed them to stay in their jobs.
And 65 percent, almost two-thirds, said that universities that fail to tackle antisemitism should have their funding withdrawn.
The issue has come to the fore since Hamas terrorist attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel responded with a ferocious assault on the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
The result was that American campuses became flashpoints for pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protests, testing universities’ commitment to free speech against their duty to protect students.
At times students used chants such as ‘From the river to the sea,’ which are interpreted in some quarters as calling for the destruction of Israel.
Harvard now faces a federal investigation over allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus.
The issue exploded into public view this month when the three college presidents appeared before Congress.
They attracted widespread condemnation when they hummed and hawed their way through questions posed by Rep. Elise Setfanik about whether calls for genocide against Jewish people breached campus policies.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/16/79219789-12890255-image-a-10_1703177184009.jpg)
![Liz Magill resigned from her post as president of the University of Pennsylvania four days after the blockbuster Congressional hearing](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/16/78659217-12890255-Liz_Magill_president_of_the_University_of_Pennsylvania_was_asked-a-1_1703175494173.jpg)
Liz Magill resigned from her post as president of the University of Pennsylvania four days after the blockbuster Congressional hearing
![Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, testifies before the House Education and the Workforce Committee at the Rayburn Building in the US Capitol Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/16/78659215-12890255-Claudine_Gay_President_of_Harvard_University_testifies_before_th-a-2_1703175535331.jpg)
Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, testifies before the House Education and the Workforce Committee at the Rayburn Building in the US Capitol Tuesday
![Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was also condemned in a fiery White House statement demanding that antisemitism be called out](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/16/78659219-12890255-Sally_Kornbluth_president_of_Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technolo-a-15_1703177934025.jpg)
Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was also condemned in a fiery White House statement demanding that antisemitism be called out
In one memorable exchange, UPenn President Elizabeth Magill was asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews amounted to bullying or harassment.
‘If it is directed, and severe, pervasive, it is harassment,’ she answered.
‘So the answer is yes,’ said Stefanik.
‘It is a context dependent decision,’ replied Magill.
She resigned four days later.
James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, which conducted the poll of 1000 likely voters, said: ‘Americans are clear that the behavior of university presidents on antisemitism has not been up to the standards they expect.
‘These findings highlight the gulf between the university elite and the bulk of the public.
‘To the public it is pretty simple: it doesn’t require a university degree and a fancy title to identify antisemitism and it should not be ignored or underplayed. If it is then America’s view is similarly straightforward: The presidents should go.’
![A billboard truck at Harvard demanding the removal of president Claudine Gay. The billboard showed NY Rep. Elise Stefanik who ripped into Gay after she failed to condemn a blatantly anti-Semitic statement](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/17/78820997-12890255-A_billboard_truck_at_Harvard_University_on_Sunday_demanding_the_-a-16_1703178103274.jpg)
A billboard truck at Harvard demanding the removal of president Claudine Gay. The billboard showed NY Rep. Elise Stefanik who ripped into Gay after she failed to condemn a blatantly anti-Semitic statement
![Pro-Palestine protestors at Harvard hang up a sign that reads 'Stop the genocide in Gaza'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/17/77700381-12890255-Pro_Palestine_protestors_at_Harvard_hang_up_a_sign_that_reads_St-a-24_1703178231640.jpg)
Pro-Palestine protestors at Harvard hang up a sign that reads ‘Stop the genocide in Gaza’
![More than 1,600 Jewish alumni have threatened to withdraw donations to Harvard University in response to the pro-Palestine protests across the campus](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/21/17/77700385-12890255-More_than_1_600_Jewish_alumni_have_threatened_to_withdraw_donati-a-25_1703178236171.jpg)
More than 1,600 Jewish alumni have threatened to withdraw donations to Harvard University in response to the pro-Palestine protests across the campus
The head of Harvard apologized for her remarks before Congress in an interview with the Harvard Crimson.
But Gay, who is in her first semester as the university’s first Black president is under additional pressure amid allegations that she plagiarized other academics throughout her career.
A university subcommittee cleared her of misconduct but said she would update her Ph.D. dissertation to add acknowledgements for other people’s work.
Last week it emerged that Harvard had received its lowest number of early admission applications in years following the slew of controversies.
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