In letter to Zaki, congressional committee demands documents on SJP encampment, investigates College’s response to antisemitism
March 29, 2025
On Thursday, a congressional committee sent a letter to President Safa Zaki and Chair of the Board of Trustees Scott Perper expressing its concern that Bowdoin has failed to protect Jewish students, specifically in regard to the February Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine encampment.
The House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Workforce’s letter, signed by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), stated that the committee has “questions regarding Bowdoin’s response to antisemitism on its campus, particularly related to its February 2025 encampment.” The letter noted that Bowdoin’s receipt of federal support places upon the College certain obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The committee is specifically concerned that the College’s disciplinary response to the encampment has been inadequate.
“While Bowdoin has reportedly temporarily suspended eight students and while approximately 50 students are facing discipline for their involvement in the Encampment, it is unclear whether these students will ultimately receive meaningful discipline,” the letter read.
The committee demanded that the College produce all documents related to disciplinary action taken against students or faculty involved in the encampment, a description of the understanding which led the encampment’s disbanding and a list of all student disciplinary cases since October 7, 2023 related to antisemitic incidents and the encampment by noon on April 10.
“The term antisemitic incidents should be understood to include any incidents involving the targeting of Jews, Judaism, Israel, Israelis, Zionism, or Zionists, or incidents otherwise identified as antisemitic,” a footnote in the letter specified.
“We are in the process of reviewing the letter, and I want to reassure you that we are confident that our policies and practices are in full compliance with the law,” Zaki wrote in an email to the campus community this afternoon. “These policies and practices allow us to live up to our values and cultivate a campus environment that rejects antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of hate so all members of our community can thrive.”
Also on Thursday, four other colleges—Barnard College, Northwestern University, Pomona College and Sarah Lawrence College—received similar letters from the committee demanding responses in regard to its accusation of antisemitism. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Pomona said it would “fully cooperate” with the inquiry.
Comments
Before submitting a comment, please review our comment policy. Some key points from the policy:
- No hate speech, profanity, disrespectful or threatening comments.
- No personal attacks on reporters.
- Comments must be under 200 words.
- You are strongly encouraged to use a real name or identifier ("Class of '92").
- Any comments made with an email address that does not belong to you will get removed.
Would love to hear Bowdoin Hillel has to say regarding this development. Any intrepid reporters from the Orient perform some due diligence and attempt to interview a representative from Bowdoin Hillel?
Throughout the entire encampment episode, did the Orient ever print comments from students associated with Jewish or Zionist organizations in those capacities? The local Chabad? Anyone associated with Bowdoin or Brunswick who thought the encampment was bad in their personal capacities? If so, I never saw it.
Finally. Unhinged virtue signaling has risk.
The letter from the U.S Congress states that it concerns “targeting of Jews, Judaism, Israel, Israelis, Zionism, or Zionists, or incidents otherwise identified as antisemitic,”
What constitutes “targeting?” Does supporting a future Palestinian state constitute antisemitism? Does pointing out that israel is a modern nation/state which possesses nuclear weapons, planes, tanks, and a full military, facts which therefore subject this nation/state to the same standards of warfare as any other state constitute antisemitism? What are “other incidents identified as antisemitic?” Are they whatever the Trump administration decides is antisemitic?
This whole initiative by the current administration and congress is an attempt to cut off free speech on the topic of the war on Gaza. If the administration and its apologists can define what we cam’t talk about or demonstrate about, then it is a threat to free speech on any topic.
The one thing the College should NOT do is respond to this letter in good faith, as though this were an earnest investigation into antisemitism. It’s not, and no amount of cooperation – short of turning Bowdoin into an ally of Trumpism – will ever satisfy this committee.