Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong testified before Congress on May 7 about how the university has addressed antisemitism on campus and was spared intense interrogation compared to two other university presidents who also took the stand that day.
Titled “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses,” the May 7 hearing was chaired by Tim Walberg (R-Michigan) of the Congressional Committee on Education and Workforce as an attempt to hold college administrators accountable for allowing antisemitism on campuses.
“The instances we are discussing with our witnesses today are truly appalling and shameful,” Walberg said when opening the hearing, referring to allegations that that the university administrators had made concessions to the organizers of illegal encampments, deliberately chose to withhold support for Jewish students, and failed to impose discipline among those who engaged in antisemitic conduct.
Armstrong was accompanied by Haverford College President Wendy Raymond and DePaul University President Robert Manuel. Former ACLU lawyer and current Georgetown University law and public policy professor David Cole also joined the three on the stand.
Within the three-hour hearing, Armstrong only spoke for about eight minutes and wasn’t asked about any specific event on campus. A previous letter from the committee outlined information it had received from an individual with first-hand knowledge about a Cal Poly professor’s alleged verbal harassment of Jewish students and others in April 2024.
In their opening statements, each president said they condemned antisemitism and recognized their mistakes when handling violence on campus.
“We can do better, and I can do better,” Haverford President Raymond said. “I am committed to getting this right.”
DePaul President Manuel said he was “deeply sorry” and knows the areas the university can do better.
Cal Poly President Armstrong said the university’s goal is “continuous improvement,” and that the university held individuals accountable for antisemitic acts. He also mentioned the new antisemitism task force, which will go into effect this month. Members of the task force will evaluate data collected through a Jewish climate survey this spring to develop a campus action plan focused on Jewish student life, antisemitism education, and cultural awareness.
The May 7 hearing was based on a one-year investigation by the Committee on Education and Workforce, after it released findings on how antisemitism affected college campuses last October. In addition, all three of the universities received failing grades from the Anti-Defamation League for not addressing antisemitic tensions on campus amid the Israel-Gaza war. Although, since introducing the new task force, Cal Poly’s grade was raised to a “D,” despite receiving a high grade for quality of Jewish life on campus.
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (R-California) commended Armstrong for fostering a quality environment for Jewish students and for having a “high return on investments” when graduated students go into the workforce.
“Thank you for that, and you’ve done really good work on this instance,” DeSaulnier said.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina), criticized Armstrong on being an “outspoken DEI proponent” and lacking Republican representation on campus.
“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.
Armstrong responded by saying that Cal Poly focuses on all students’ success and is competitive under Proposition 209, which prohibits state and local governments from discriminating based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.
“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,” Armstrong said before Wilson cut him off.
Committee questions for the other presidents focused on specific instances of antisemitic violence on campus and whether disciplinary action had occurred like encampment cleanups at DePaul and antisemitic faculty interactions at Haverford.
Haverford President Raymond said that disciplinary action is a part of the college’s processes but wouldn’t speak to specific cases.
“Discrimination is not tolerated on campus,” she repeated in response to multiple questions.
While some Republican committee members stated that the presidents’ apologies were “hollow,” or just “lip service,” Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon) criticized the committee for blaming antisemitism on the left and said the hearing that day was “not a good faith effort.”
“Let’s denounce antisemitism from the administration,” she said and specifically named recent actions by the Trump administration, including the dismantling of the Department of Education, which houses the Office of Civil Rights and handles cases of antisemitism.
After the hearing, Cal Poly Assistant Vice President for Communications and Media Relations Matt Lazier sent New Times an emailed statement.
“President Armstrong appreciated the opportunity to share with the committee the many actions Cal Poly has taken to address antisemitism and ensure the entire Cal Poly community feels safe and secure so all can thrive,” the statement said. Δ
This article appears in May 15-25, 2025.