Congress Mulls Interventions Over Antisemitism on Campus

If colleges can't or won't self-correct, corrections will be imposed by lawmakers

It's been said that nature abhors a vacuum. The same holds true for Congress.

Congress reportedly is preparing interventions if colleges and universities won't or can't address their antisemitism problem. And that's sure to elicit cries of "political meddling" and "outside interference" from inside the Ivory Tower. But what choice do lawmakers have if they see mounting evidence that taxpayer-funded or -subsidized institutions won’t or can’t correct glaring problems? Are lawmakers really to turn a blind eye to problems on campus, like the alarming rise of antisemitism, that involve potential violations of federal law?

It’s true that legislative "fixes" often employ a sledgehammer when a scalpel will do. Overkill is likely. And such interventions can create more problems than they correct. But colleges and universities that don't recognize and aggressively address obvious problems only have themselves to blame when politicians see an opening and jump in.

The best way for schools to prevent the congressional hammer from coming down is to stop living in denial, admit they have a problem, and move quickly and decisively to correct it. This doesn't just apply to antisemitism; it holds true for a host of problems plaguing higher-ed, including growing threats to free speech.

"Physician, heal thyself," says the old proverb. Universities and colleges facing political interventions should take the proverb to heart. If they won't or can't self-correct, corrections by other means will come.