Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong testified at a tense hearing before a congressional committee Wednesday morning, fielding questions about the university's response to antisemitism on campus while escaping the worst of panel members' ire.

In fact, Armstrong emerged from the hearing rather unscathed — especially compared to the other two university presidents, who at times endured withering questioning from Republicans on the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

The goal of the hearing was to hold Cal Poly, Haverford College and DePaul University accountable for "perpetuating antisemitism," Committee Chair Tim Walberg said in his opening remarks.

Committee members directed most of their questions to Haverford College President Wendy Raymond and DePaul University President Robert Manuel. Raymond faced repeated, aggressive questioning that left her stammering and speechless at times.

Both Haverford, a private university in Philadelphia, and DePaul, a Catholic university in Chicago, had far more substantial incidents, including encampments of Pro-Palestine protesters and a Jewish student who was attacked.

Attorney and Georgetown University professor David Cole also testified, but not on behalf of the university.

In his opening statement, Armstrong condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack as "horrific" and pledged the university's commitment to creating a safe environment for students regardless of their religious beliefs.

"The violence perpetrated that day must be condemned without equivocation," he said. "And the targeting of Jewish students on campuses across the U.S. that followed was terrible and unacceptable."

In defending Cal Poly's response, Armstrong pointed to multiple initiatives the university has made to improve the campus climate, from establishing an antisemitism task force to developing an Interfaith Center.

"Our efforts to support Jewish students and combat antisemitism have made progress," Armstrong said. "I want to emphasize that our goal is continuous improvement. We will work to give each student the safest possible environment, free from discrimination and religious intolerance, so they can learn, grow and succeed."

How is Cal Poly combating antisemitism on campus?

Armstrong said that Cal Poly has "enjoyed a vibrant Jewish community for many years," adding that the number of Jewish students enrolled at the university has doubled since 2011.

Cal Poly is home to student organizations like SLO Hillel and Chabad, who support and advocate for Jewish students. Armstrong said he and his wife have attended many of these organizations' events.

To combat antisemitism on campus, Cal Poly bolstered its student orientation program and employee training with more information about antisemitism. Meanwhile, university representatives have attended eight training sessions with the Hillel Campus Climate Initiative, Armstrong said.

Cal Poly announced the creation of an antisemitism task force in April, and the university is fundraising to hire a chair of Jewish studies.

When asked if Cal Poly was a "hotbed of antisemitism," Armstrong simply said, "No."

Later, when asked if he believed anti-Zionism could constitute national origin discrimination, Armstrong said, "Yes."

"We work very hard to make sure all students have a safe learning environment," Armstrong said. "We want to make sure they're free from harassment and discrimination, but we also balance that with free speech."

Cal Poly is also working to establish an Interfaith Center, which would support students practicing all types of religions — including Judaism.

"We view that as an opportunity where students can come together, where they can have a dialog," Armstrong said of the Interfaith Center.

The university has been discussing such a center with Chabad, Hillel and other religious leaders for several years, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress on the project, Armstrong said.

Rep. Alma Adams, who represents the 12th District of North Carolina, said she felt "encouraged" by Cal Poly's efforts to establish an Interfaith Center.

"When students gather across faiths and backgrounds to talk, to grieve, to organize together — that's how we build resilience, and that's how we push back against hate," she said.

To address antisemitism along with all forms of discrimination, Adams called for providing resources to the Office of Civil Rights, which investigates allegations of discrimination. The Trump administration, however, has cut seven of the 12 local offices of the Office of Civil Rights, Cole and Democrats on the panel noted.

"Every student, regardless of background, deserves to feel safe, protected and welcomed on campuses, and that includes Jewish students, that includes Muslim students," Adams said.

In a rare display of congeniality during the hearing, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier complimented Armstrong.

"You have one of the highest returns on investment for students," DeSaulnier said. "When your graduates get out, they go out to work and make a good return on investment. So thank you for that."

DeSaulnier submitted to the record letters from two Jewish students and SLO Hillel Executive Director Lauren Bandari, which shared that Armstrong's leadership facilitated a safe atmosphere for Jewish students on campus. He then asked Armstrong about the university's partnership with law enforcement.

Armstrong said the Cal Poly Police Department collaborates with the San Luis Obispo Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies when necessary.

"We deploy campus police whenever there is potential for threatening activity or trouble, and they make arrests and file criminal charges when justified," Armstrong said.

A Pro-Palestine protest outside the Cal Poly Recreation Center in January 2024 was met with a heavy police presence. The demonstration ended in a violent clash between police and demonstrators and eight arrests.

Then, in May 2024, another Pro-Palestine protest at the California Boulevard entrance to campus also ended with eight arrests — that time without incident.

Armstrong said the university investigates all allegations of antisemitism or harassment on campus and imposes discipline when appropriate.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, six students have been disciplined for antisemitic conduct — with sanctions ranging from a two-quarter suspension to probation, he said.

"At Cal Poly, when people do not live up to our commitment to prohibit prejudice and bias, we hold them accountable," Armstrong said. "We have dealt with antisemitism and other forms of discrimination by faculty, staff, visitors and students."

The question of discipline came up repeatedly during the hearing, with all three presidents fielding questions about their universities' processes.

But it was the Haverford president who received the brunt of Republican members' anger when she refused to share details.

Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik repeatedly asked Raymond what disciplinary action her university took against students "who called for the complete dismantling of the apartheid settler colonial state of Israel by all means necessary."

When Raymond refused to share specifics, Stefanik clapped back.

"You were the one university president who failed to lay out if any disciplinary action has been taken," Stefanik said.

Later, Missouri Republican Rep. Bob Onder also called out Raymond for refusing to answer questions about the university's disciplinary process.

"I suppose it's your First Amendment right to be evasive, but it's also our right to decide that such institutions are not deserving of taxpayer money," he said.

Cal Poly president grilled about DEI

South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson used some of his time to grill Armstrong about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, calling the Cal Poly president "an outspoken DEI proponent."

"I believe that DEI chills and actually restricts and restrains academic freedom. It's been my view that diversity means no ideological diversity," Wilson said.

Wilson asked Armstrong how he viewed diversity, equity and inclusion.

"Cal Poly, since I've been there, we've focused on student success — and all student success," Armstrong said.

Wilson then interrupted Armstrong and asked, "Does that mean equity for everybody? They all get the same grades?"

"Oh no, sir," Armstrong said. "We have been admitting students under Prop. 209, (which) has been in existence for more than 25 years in California, so we've been operating under an affirmative action ban during that time, and we have had significant changes in the makeup of our population, because we've increased financial aid and made students more able to — "

Wilson then interrupted Armstrong again to ask what percentage of Cal Poly's professors were conservative, before answering his own question.

"I'm sadly concerned there are none, or very few," Wilson said, without giving Armstrong the chance to respond.

Democrats criticize the hearing

The stated intent of the hearing was to hold universities accountable for antisemitic incidents on campus and enact "policies that create a safe environment for Jewish students," Wallberg said in his opening statement.

Numerous Democrats on the committee, however, questioned the sincerity of this effort.

Virginia Democrat Rep. Bobby Scott explained that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act promises all students the right to learn in a safe environment free of discrimination. The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights investigates allegations of discrimination and enforces compliance with the law.

If a student alleged that a campus didn't provide a safe learning environment, the Office of Civil Rights has a process for investigating and disciplining the university. If the university doesn't comply with the office's requirements, the Department of Education can withhold funds, Scott said.

Scott said the Title VI process is more effective for addressing antisemitism than the committee's Wednesday hearing.

However, the Trump administration closed seven of the Office of Civil Rights' 12 regional offices and laid off "nearly half" of its staff — preventing the office from investigating and punishing antisemitic incidents the committee wished to protect students from, Scott said.

"That raises reasonable doubt about the plans for addressing antisemitism on campus, as well as racism, homophobia, sexism, Islamophobia or the needs of students with disabilities," Scott said. "We should be focused on trying to solve the problem rather than just complaining about it."

Instead of holding hearings about antisemitism, he called for the committee to empower the Office of Civil Rights to conduct fact-finding investigations into each incident and address them accordingly.

Cole explained that only two types of antisemitic speech violate Title VI, the first being if the speech targets an individual because they are Jewish.

"Not because he supports Israel, but because of his Jewish identity specifically," Cole said.

If the speech isn't targeted at an individual, such as at a rally, it only violates Title VI if "it is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it denies equal access to an education," Cole said.

The Office of Civil Rights investigates such incidents to balance free speech with the safety of students and compliance with Title VI, Cole said.

"The line between protected antisemitic speech and prohibited antisemitic discrimination is necessarily fact-intensive. It requires a careful assessment of what was said to whom and why it was said," Cole said. "As a result, it is not sufficient to make general accusations of antisemitism, as members of this committee have repeatedly done in all of the prior hearings and already today."

Holding a hearing for each alleged antisemitic incident, with testimony from the perpetrator and the complainant, would be a more effective way to investigate and address antisemitism than this hearing, Cole said.

"You need to look at what happened, hear both sides of the encounter, and make a legal assessment, not a political harangue," Cole said.

Texas Democrat Rep. Greg Casar's comments were perhaps the most scathing of the day.

He asked Republican committee members to raise their hand if they condemned President Donald Trump for saying there were "fine people on both sides" after white supremacists and Neo-nazis marched through Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

He then asked them to raise their hand if they condemned U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for spreading an antisemitic conspiracy theory "that COVID was engineered to target white and black people, but spare Jewish people."

"Not a single Republican today has been willing to condemn any of this antisemitism," Casar said. "If my Republican colleagues want to stop the spread of antisemitism, maybe they should stop apologizing for and promoting anti-Semites."

He also called for the strengthening of the Office of Civil Rights.

"This hearing called by the Republican majority is all about Trump Republicans distorting the definition of antisemitism to silence anyone, including Jewish students, who speak out, nonviolently, against what the Israeli government is doing," he said. "The Republican plan is not about keeping Jewish students safe. It's about keeping the Israeli government safe from any form of criticism. That is a disservice to the truth."

In their letter to the committee, Cal Poly students Avi Shapiro and Benjamin Broudy said they appreciated the hearing.

"The work that the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development and the House Committee on Education and Workforce is doing to publicize and help prevent future antisemitic incidents is incredibly important in keeping Jewish college students safe and comfortable," the letter said. "When university students are not doing well, universities are not doing well. It is necessary, and a huge step in the right direction, to put a spotlight on universities that have failed their Jewish students and who have made zero effort to combat antisemitism on their campuses."

Letter detailed allegations of antisemitism at Cal Poly

Armstrong was called to testify in an April 21 letter that the committee sent a letter to the Cal Poly president and CSU Trustee Jack Clarke Jr. It detailed new allegations of antisemitism on the university's campus.

The letter repeated claims outlined by the Anti-Defamation League, an organization known for its pro-Israel advocacy, in its Campus Antisemitism Report Card, which originally gave Cal Poly an "F" rating. The rating was later raised to a "D" after Cal Poly implemented new policies, according to the report card website — and the boost occurred just days after Cal Poly announced a new antisemitism task force.

The Anti-Defamation League's analysis found that Cal Poly had high levels of "hostile" and "anti-Zionist" students and faculty, and the university's administration was marked down in the report for not publicly condemning antisemitic incidents on campus, according to the organization.

The committee letter relied on these claims to justify Armstrong's appearance and cited "alleged verbal harassment" of Jewish students by a Cal Poly professor in April 2024 outside a lecture on campus by a former Israeli Defense Force soldier.

"The alleged harassment included a Cal Poly professor, while holding a Palestinian flag, confronting Jewish students and attendees in the lobby and stating 'You are Zionists — you are part of the KKK,'" the letter reads. "The same professor, while standing in the lobby near the entrance, allegedly held the Palestinian flag over the face of a woman as she entered the lobby and stated "F--- Israel.'"

Despite that list of grievances, committee members did not question Armstrong about any particular incident.

©2025 The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) Visit at www.sanluisobispo.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.