The Pennsylvania House of Representatives defeated a proposed legislation late Wednesday (December 13), sending more than $33 million to the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school in the aftermath of the resignation of Elizabeth Magill as UPenn president due to criticism of rising antisemitism on campus.
According to the Associated Press, the legislation won a majority in two different votes but failed to reach the required two-thirds majority the state's constitution required.
Most Republicans in the state chamber opposed the funding, while every Democrat voted in favor of it. Pennsylvania House Republican leader Bryan Cutler was among the many GOP lawmakers voting against the legislation, saying that Magill's resignation was the start but that the university must do more to make it clear that it opposed antisemitism on campus.
GOP Lawmakers Insist State Schools Adhere to Code of Conduct
The funding voted upon was an annual appropriation that typically drew strong bipartisan support - and 18% of the budget of UPenn's veterinary school - because of the university's frontline role in helping train veterinarians and fight infectious disease outbreaks in the state's agricultural sector.
However, Republicans have begun drafting legislation requiring higher education institutions in Pennsylvania receiving state aid to first adopt codes of conduct that made it clear that calling for genocide was bullying or harassment.
Last month, UPenn launched a task force led by the dean of the university's dental school to write a plan to fight antisemitism on campus. A separate presidential commission to fight hate on campus was also introduced in the aftermath of protests and bullying pertaining to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Another Investor Cuts Ties with UPenn
Meanwhile, the New York Post reported that UPenn investors Henry and Stacey Jackson have initiated talks with the university to cut ties with political science professor Anne Norton after a series of social media posts allegedly inciting "hatred and violence" against the Jewish community, including Norton's claim that the Jewish people were best at "playing the victim."
While the Jacksons accepted the fact that Norton made her remarks "in a personal capacity," they nevertheless "condemn" any form of racism, including antisemitism.
The couple has sponsored Norton through their President's Distinguished Professorship since 2018
Related Article : UPenn President Elizabeth Magill Resigns
