Chair Walberg: Why I Selected Haverford to Testify Before Congress

In Case You Missed It, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a hearing titled "Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses." Among those called to testify was Haverford President Wendy Raymond, who refused to answer the Committee's questions about disciplinary actions taken to counteract the pervasive culture of antisemitism on her campus. Her testimony made one thing clear: Haverford has failed Jewish students and faculty.

In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner that lays out why the Committee selected Haverford to testify, Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) writes: "This week, we provided an opportunity for Haverford to take accountability and commit to following the law to ensure Jewish students have a safe learning environment. Unfortunately, Raymond rejected that opportunity."

Why I Selected Haverford to Testify Before Congress
By Chairman Tim Walberg
May 9, 2025

Antisemitism has taken root at Haverford College. That is why I called its president, Wendy Raymond, to testify before Congress earlier this week. She did not meet my expectations.

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[A]ntisemitism isn't just happening in the Ivy League or a few East Coast schools. It's happening everywhere in America. Relatively small schools, such as Haverford College, are seeing shocking rises in anti-Jewish incidents and rhetoric on their own campuses.

Raymond's testimony was littered with weak and empty condemnations of antisemitism. Armed with a cheat sheet of prepared responses and prompts, such as "Remember body posture," Raymond provided evasive testimony and refused to discuss whether disciplinary measures were taken to counteract Haverford's pervasive culture of antisemitism.

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To name a few antisemitic incidents raised at the hearing: Jewish religious posters were torn down for a year before the administration admitted the poser disappearances were antisemitic incidents, and, perhaps not coincidentally, the administration admitted the poster disappearances were antisemitic in the weeks prior to our hearing; Haverford allowed an event invoking the antisemitic conspiracy theory of blood libel to be held on campus; and administrators have remained silent while Haverford professors post threatening and deeply antisemitic messages online - while a Jewish Haverford professor was investigated for his pro-Israel posts. When questioned about such incidents, Raymond repeatedly refused to provide any details, recycling phrases from her cheat sheet, such as "abhorrent," instead.

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Haverford's double standard could not be any clearer. However, the school's failure to address these incidents demonstrates a broader trend of liberal arts schools that are plagued by antisemitism and doing nothing to meaningfully confront it.

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This week, we provided an opportunity for Haverford to take accountability and commit to following the law to ensure Jewish students have a safe learning environment. Unfortunately, Raymond rejected that opportunity.

To read the full op-ed, click here.