I disagree with the presidents of nearly 200 U.S. colleges and universities who have co-signed a letter condemning what they called “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in reference to President Trump’s administration making punitive moves against universities due to their being lax in combating antisemitism (“Carnegie Mellon president joins university leaders in condemning ‘unprecedented government overreach,’ ” April 22, TribLive).
Not only is it not unprecedented, but it is appropriate and necessary. Government overreach and political interference of schools occurred in 1963 when Alabama Gov. George Wallace was blocked by Attorney General Robert Kennedy from segregation of schools. When schools mistreat students or exhibit prejudice, it is appropriate for the government to reach out and interfere — regardless whether the prejudice is racial or religious.
These schools have neglected the safety of their Jewish students on campus. The Associated Press article published the same day, “Anti-Defamation League says anger at Israel is now the driving force behind antisemitism in the U.S.” (April 22, TribLive), cited league reports that the number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached a record recently, causing many Jewish students to face “hostility, exclusion and sometimes physical danger.”
I agree with the Trump administration making punitive moves against universities it considers too lax in combating antisemitism.
Dr. Joel I. Last
Greensburg