Cal Poly was thrust into the national spotlight on Wednesday as the university's president testified before Congress in Washington, D.C., addressing the issue of antisemitism on campus.
The hearing comes after the House Committee on Education and Workforce sent a letter to President Jeffrey Armstrong about the school's failure to respond to antisemitic incidents on campus.
Specifically, a congressman pointed to an incident in April 2024. The letter states that a Cal Poly professor verbally harassed Jewish students and others at the Baker building, where an Israel Defense Forces veteran was giving a lecture.
President Armstrong was one of three university presidents to testify during the House committee hearing titled "Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses."
"Both as a university president and a human being, this is a matter I take particularly seriously. We have to do better," Armstrong said in his opening statement.
“We work very hard to make sure all students have a safe learning environment," Armstrong continued. "We want to make sure they're free from harassment and discrimination, but we also balance that with free speech.”
In response to the disruptions and protests across college campuses following the conflict between Israel and Palestine that began after the October 7th Hamas attack, the American Defamation League issued Cal Poly a grade of "F" for failure to appropriately address antisemitism.
“All of your schools have been hotbeds of antisemitism at one point," said Rep. Tim Walberg, Committee Chairman.
Since April 4, that grade has been upgraded to a D.
Many students on campus feel that Cal Poly shouldn’t even be in the spotlight for antisemitism.
“From what my Jewish friends have told me, I think this is a very safe place," one student said. "I, as a Christian, also believe that this is a safe place to have safe discussions.”
One Jewish 5th year student said, “I am not worried about my identity as a Jewish person on campus. I've been at Cal Poly for five years, so I've heard maybe like three instances throughout my time here.”
However, one student explained he thinks there are plenty who do think it is a problem but aren't coming forward for fear of consequences.
The Chabad and Hillel groups on-campus issued a joint letter saying, “Antisemitism is a pervasive issue around the world. We are well aware that this unfortunate reality has led to hostile environments for Jewish students, faculty, and staff on many university campuses. Cal Poly is not one of those campuses.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, President Armstrong said Cal Poly has taken steps to combat anti-semitism and hold people accountable.
“We do not tolerate threatening activity. We deploy campus police whenever there is potential for threatening activity or trouble. They make arrests and file criminal charges when justified,” he said.
The presidents from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and DePaul University in Illinois also testified at the hearing.
