In the wake of President Raymond’s testimony before the Committee for Education & Workforce, conversations about the conduct of the hearing, the representatives’ questions, and President Raymond’s response strategy have been ongoing across the Bi-Co. Opinions regarding what we can expect from the threats made to Haverford’s federal funding, and to Raymond’s position at the college vary widely, but the dominant reaction is one of outrage and deep concern. Students and faculty have particularly voiced their concern over the committee’s conduct, some calling it a “kangaroo court.”
A Haverford College alum who graduated only last year reached out to the Bi-Co News in regards to an article he wrote, which was cited by Representative Harris in his questions directed toward President Raymond. Posted on Haverford’s Political Science website in January of 2024, the article is titled “Jewish Students are Not Your Enemy.” The author, who wished to remain anonymous so as not to have his name attached to the article, told the News that he felt Representative Harris “used my words in a way that I would not have intended at the time, and certainly not now.”
“First of all,” he wrote in an email communication, “I no longer agree with many of the sentiments I wrote about in that article. While I still believe that the October 7th attacks were horrific and celebration of those attacks was unwarranted, as well as deeply hurtful to the Jewish community at the Bi-Co, I do not think I would have written the article knowing all that would follow. As far as I can tell, accusations of antisemitism have been blown out of proportion … What [Harris’] quote did do was help establish the idea that there is deep-seated antisemitism at Haverford, an idea that I reject. Republicans were using that assertion to justify draconian measures to stop any anti-Israel speech.”
Jesse Lytle, Vice President and Chief of Staff at Haverford College, replied to a request for comment with the following statement:
“This week, President Raymond appeared before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to address the critical issue of antisemitism. We appreciate the thoughtful questions and engagement from Committee members and remain committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all. The hearing was an important step in the ongoing dialogue, and we look forward to continuing our work in partnership with Congress and our campus community to combat hatred in all its forms. There aren’t any updates about federal funding, but we continue to monitor the situation.”
Throughout the hearing, Raymond emphasized that she would not be disclosing details about individual cases where disciplinary action was taken against protestors. Contrary to Raymond, the presidents of DePaul and California Polytechnic State University both discussed specific cases such as the arrests made at DePaul after the encampment organized by two now suspended student groups. In response to Raymond’s refusal to discuss individual cases, Mari (BMC’25) spoke to the Bi-Co News on behalf of the anti-zionist Jewish community of Bryn Mawr and Haverford.
“We appreciated Raymond’s refusal to disclose Haverford’s disciplinary procedure statistics and emphasis on the restorative, student-centered nature of Haverford’s Honor Code. We noticed that Raymond was singled out for her different approach to the Committee’s questions and are concerned that this may have had to do with her being the only woman on the panel; it was particularly upsetting that Representative Bob Onder addressed her as “Miss Haverford.” Given that these congressional hearings are largely political theater intended to bully and intimidate institutions of higher education into repressing dissent for policies and investments that support the ongoing genocide in Gaza, we were not surprised that Raymond’s avoidance of describing draconian policy changes and disciplinary action as the DePaul and CalPoly presidents did was met with threats to Haverford’s federal funding.”
Several Republican members of Congress also questioned Raymond about the a protest on Haverford’s campus agaisnt the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Representative Robert Onder Jr. claimed that protesters chanted “from Gaza to Lebanon, Israel will soon be gone,” and asked Raymond if she believed this to be an incident of antisemitism. Mari told the Bi-Co News that the protest in question was “entirely led by Jewish students and preceded by a letter, signed by 58 Jewish students and alumni, requesting that Haverford cancel the workshop.”
She stated that “the Committee’s argument that “Zionists” are under attack on Haverford’s campus is not only false, but an antisemitic characterization of all Jews as Zionist. We reiterate the statement signed by 64 current Jewish Haverford students and delivered to the Committee in advance of the hearing, that this series of hearings makes a “monolith” out of Jewish perspectives and “weaponizes antisemitism to target freedom of speech on college campuses,” and does not actually contribute in any meaningful way to our safety.”
Mari also noted that anti-zionist Jewish communities of the bi-co “disagree with many of Raymond’s statements, including that various political statements such as ‘Resistance is justified when people are occupied’ are unacceptable and antisemitic.”
Commitee Chairman Tim Walberg released an Op-Ed after the hearing where he condemned Raymond’s use of pre-written flashcards and notes during her testimony. He stated that Raymond was “Armed with a cheat sheet of prepared responses and prompts, such as “Remember body posture.” He criticised Raymond’s focus on Haverford’s Quaker roots in engaging in restorative practices as he claims that “the faculty leaders of Haverford’s Restorative Practices group are supporters of the antisemitic boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.”
In response to Raymond’s emphasis of Haverfordian values, Mari stated “we appreciated Raymond’s commitment to some important Haverford values, such as student governance and restorative practices. We hope that, instead of folding under Congress’s pressure to pursue draconian disciplinary measures, Raymond, Cadge, and both the Bryn Mawr and Haverford administrations will continue to protect a diversity of perspectives at our colleges, including ones that do not align with the federal government.”
Faculty members named at the hearing either did not respond to requests for comment or declined, citing legal concerns.
