Jackson Purchase News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered remarks today on the Senate floor concerning higher education as students return to college campuses.

“As students head back to school, college campuses across the country are hoping this academic year begins more calmly than the last one ended,” McConnell stated.

He referenced incidents from May when campus protests led some elite schools to cancel commencement ceremonies due to concerns over antisemitism. “Back in May, the tantrums of campus radicals made some elite schools so inhospitable to learning – particularly for Jewish students – that administrators were driven to cancel commencement ceremonies.”

McConnell pointed out recent resignations at Columbia University, including its president and three deans, following antisemitic comments about a panel on Jewish life on campus. “These are, of course, steps in the right direction for an Ivy League institution that professes a commitment to ‘thoughtful, rigorous debate’ and a campus culture ‘free of bigotry, intimidation, and harassment.’ But Columbia and other universities have a great deal of work still to do to earn back the trust of students, parents, and alumni alike.”

The Senator criticized Columbia’s decision regarding a doctoral student who had been involved in previous protests. “Remember...the Columbia doctoral student who served as the unofficial spokesperson of the violent Hamasnik mob that forcefully occupied a campus building?...Months later, she’s now scheduled to teach a required course for undergraduates on nothing less than contemporary Western civilization!”

McConnell cited a survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression indicating 72 percent of college students believe encampments can be acceptable forms of protest under certain circumstances. He questioned whether parents or staff would share this view.

“Unfortunately, what used to be a reliable path to the middle class appears to have turned into breeding ground for childish radicalism,” he remarked.

He also mentioned federal judges' actions against Columbia Law School over perceived issues with diversity and tolerance. “Earlier this year...over a dozen federal judges described Columbia as ‘an incubator of bigotry,’ declared that they had ‘lost confidence in Columbia as an institution of higher education,’ and announced that they will not hire law clerks from Columbia Law School until it undertakes serious reforms.”

Regarding government policy, McConnell criticized efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration related to student loan forgiveness plans. “Over the summer the Supreme Court upheld a stay on the Administration’s SAVE plan...But the Administration still won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

McConnell concluded by referencing criticism from various think tanks about these policies' financial impact. “Even left-leaning think tanks have criticized student loan socialism for the regressive nature of its beneficiaries.”