East Idaho Times

Amid rising protests across American colleges and universities, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, along with U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher (all R-Idaho), are seeking answers from the U.S. Department of Education. They have called on U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to create and distribute a best practices guide for universities to handle protests on campuses appropriately.

The Idaho Congressional Delegation expressed concern over the safety of Jewish students and their ability to freely voice their views and practice their faith of choice. They wrote, “Given the growing number of radical encampments on college campuses and the harassment of Jewish students... As Congress holds hearings and continues to investigate the presidents of universities who have harbored and allowed these violent protestors to target Jewish students on their campuses, the Department must respond directly.”

The congressional leaders are demanding that the Department provide its plan for protecting students as well as information about whether and how it will hold universities accountable for their failures.

In their letter, they outlined several antisemitic protests on college campuses nationwide, including those at Northeastern University, Yale University, George Washington University, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

They pointed out that some universities have managed these protests better than others. For instance, they highlighted the University of Florida's successful handling of such incidents. Consequently, they are urging the Secretary of Education to compile a list of best practices from universities that have effectively managed these protests without escalation. The goal is "to encourage all universities to take the correct approach..."

The full letter can be accessed here.