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Columbia and Stanford universities, which have been beset by antisemitic occasions on their campuses throughout Israel’s struggle with Hamas, obtained billions in taxpayer {dollars} in recent times, in keeping with an evaluation.
Critics have assailed universities in current weeks over what they are saying is an insufficient response to the antisemitic occasions, prompting questions and issues over federal funding going to such establishments.
OpenTheBooks, a authorities watchdog group, examined 10 top-tier universities’ federal funding and located that Columbia and Stanford sat atop the stack and bought a staggering amount of money supported by taxpayers.
“Common individuals are asking why taxpayer cash is flowing into any college the place they’ve incubated discrimination, bigotry and antisemitism,” OpenTheBooks founder Adam Andrzejewski informed Fox Information Digital. “Not to mention advocacy of terrorism towards our closest ally within the Center East. Public funding and discrimination of any sort can’t be reconciled.”
ELITE AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES RECEIVING BILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDS SEE RISE IN ANTISEMITISM: ‘GAMED THE TAX CODE’
Columbia College college members stand in entrance of a campus constructing with a listing of calls for from the college administration on Nov. 15, 2023. (Teny Sahakian / Fox Information)
The group discovered that Stanford acquired federal funds at a better clip than the opposite elite universities over a five-year span. In accordance to their evaluation, the varsity obtained roughly $7 billion in taxpayer-backed money between 2018 and 2022, together with federal grants and contracts.
Columbia, in the meantime, obtained roughly $5.8 million in federal grants and contracts throughout the identical interval, the group mentioned.
“In fiscal yr 2022, Stanford obtained $1.6 billion in federal grants and contracts, whereas they charged $598 million in undergraduate pupil tuition,” Andrzejewski mentioned. “It is a comparable image at Columbia. The feds despatched them $1.26 billion whereas pupil tuition amounted to $769 million.”
“These rich, elite universities get twice as a lot funding for appearing as a federal contractor than an educator,” he added.
Total, the 10 universities studied obtained $33 billion in federal grants and contracts over the 5 years. The group additionally analyzed the College of Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth.
“It is time that Congress reconsiders the first missions of those establishments,” Andrzejewski mentioned. “These universities get pleasure from particular nonprofit tax standing whereas they stuff their endowments with tens of billions in private-sector donations and off-load the prices of their analysis on the American taxpayer.”
Not solely do Columbia and Stanford sit atop the pile of federal money within the evaluation, however additionally they have been amongst these scrutinized over antisemitic occurrences on campuses.
TOP REPUBLICAN WANTS TO BAN UNIVERSITIES ENABLING ‘ANTISEMITISM’ FROM COLLECTING TAXPAYER CASH: ‘ABHORRENT’
Columbia College college students and college protest the elimination of two pro-Palestinian teams. (Teny Sahakian / Fox Information)
Since Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 assault on Israeli residents that left over 1,200 lifeless, Columbia’s campus has skilled walkouts and rallies together with verbal and written clashes between college students and college.
The occasions included practically two dozen pupil teams signing a letter “holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its actions and placing an finish to the untenable establishment of Israel’s apartheid and colonial system.”
Moreover, two pupil organizations – College students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace – have been suspended from the college by way of the top of the autumn time period for violating college insurance policies.
The college mentioned the 2 pupil teams “repeatedly violated college insurance policies associated to holding campus occasions, culminating in an unauthorized occasion [last] Thursday afternoon that proceeded regardless of warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”
On Wednesday, college students and employees on the college protested the elimination of the teams, Fox Information Digital reported.
In the meantime, a Columbia professor went viral for decrying the response by the varsity relating to antisemitic incidents. A Jewish pupil was additionally attacked with a stick after objecting to a lady tearing down posters of Hamas hostages.
Columbia didn’t reply to a Fox Information Digital request for remark.
Stanford, then again, has additionally skilled antisemitic incidents on its campus whereas seeing its leaders come beneath the microscope.
NYC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STUDENTS PROTEST SUSPENSION OF 2 FAR-LEFT GROUPS
Supporters of each Israel and Palestinians have interaction with one another at Columbia College on Oct. 12 in New York Metropolis. (Spencer Platt/Getty Photos)
Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez got here beneath hearth for initially failing to condemn Hamas in a letter responding to their terrorist assault. Their actions led to over 1,800 Stanford associates slamming them in a letter, the Stanford Day by day reported in late October.
When contacted for remark, the college pointed Fox Information Digital to statements the college launched, together with one from Martinez days after the scholar publication reported on the letter.
“I wish to be unequivocally clear that Stanford stands towards antisemitism and acknowledges the deep historic roots of this type of hate and the methods wherein Jewish college students, college, and employees are affected by this historic legacy and its present manifestations,” Martinez mentioned within the assertion.
Moreover, a Stanford teacher was additionally dismissed from the classroom after downplaying the Holocaust and singling out college students “based mostly on their backgrounds and identities,” CNN reported.
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The rising antisemitic occasions on campuses – and lots of instances, a lackluster response – have led to lawmakers corresponding to Home GOP Convention Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., calling for tightening the taxpayer valve on these establishments.
“It’s abhorrent that Harvard and universities throughout America are enabling horrific antisemitism to run rampant on their campuses,” Stefanik informed Fox Information Digital final week. “U.S. taxpayer {dollars} must be prohibited from funding any establishment that promotes antisemitism or anti-Israel bigotry, and Home Republicans will maintain these extremist establishments accountable for failing their college students.”
Fox Information Digital’s Greg Wehner and Teny Sahakian contributed to this report.
Joe Schoffstall is a politics producer/reporter for Fox Information Digital. Story suggestions may be despatched to [email protected] and on Twitter: @joeschoffstall
