At yesterday's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) questioned UC Chancellor Dr. Gene Block about antisemitism on campus.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 - Thank you, Dr. Fox, and thank you all the witnesses
00:03 coming out today.
00:04 And Chancellor Block, you've been talking about
00:08 this was really peaceful protest,
00:12 and UC system, under UC system,
00:15 unless absolutely needed,
00:17 that you cannot really use law enforcements.
00:20 But you know what?
00:21 If you watch that video,
00:24 that person physically slapped a Jewish student
00:28 and removed the Jewish student's head covering
00:31 and pull out a taser and follow that person,
00:36 I hope that you found out who that person is,
00:39 belong to your university or students,
00:41 and whoever that was, and I hope that you found out
00:45 and you did certain, you know,
00:48 you deal with him, I hope.
00:52 And you know what?
00:53 That should not happen for the Jewish students.
00:56 And your school that had the,
01:01 you know, I'm gonna just move on to that.
01:03 How much leaning faculty members offered extra credit
01:08 and better grades for those who took part in
01:12 chaos and disruption caused by the terrorists,
01:19 this is just really not heard of.
01:23 And what did you do?
01:24 Did you discipline this professor?
01:29 Or did you really do something,
01:32 or you are investigating, and then what's going on?
01:35 You know what, this should not happen
01:37 in the university campuses, such as UCLA.
01:41 It's prominent, prominent university in California.
01:45 Not just California, but in the nation.
01:47 So what did you do about it?
01:49 - Congressman, thank you for your question.
01:53 I'm unaware of the incident of offering extra credit
01:58 to, I'm just not clear of that incident.
02:02 I'm happy to look into it, but that particular incident--
02:04 - I really cannot hear you.
02:05 Could you pull your microphone?
02:06 - I'm sorry.
02:08 That particular incident, I'm not fully aware
02:10 of the one you're talking about.
02:12 We do know there have been cases where a faculty member
02:16 has offered extra credit to go to a tutorial on Gaza,
02:20 but offered the same credit to go to other events on campus,
02:24 including an event at our Nazarian Study for Jewish Studies.
02:27 But the incident you're talking about,
02:28 I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with.
02:29 I will make sure I'm aware of it,
02:31 and see how it was disposed of.
02:33 It may have been handled by Student Affairs.
02:34 I'm not certain.
02:36 - Well, Chancellor Block, I am aware of it, and you don't.
02:39 That's really, really odd,
02:41 because you are head of your university.
02:44 And then, you know what?
02:45 Anti-Semitism class is not mandatory,
02:48 but I have a little problem with your syllabus,
02:52 your school syllabus here, that on March 27th,
02:56 an activist gave a mandatory lecture
03:00 to your first year UCLA medical student.
03:04 It's part of the mandatory structure
03:06 of racism and health equity class.
03:10 During this lecture, the medical students,
03:12 the lecturer led the students
03:14 in a free, free Palestine chant,
03:18 and demanded the students kneel down
03:23 and keep repeating for Mama Earth, the prey.
03:28 And when you do mandatory,
03:36 why medical students required to stand up
03:39 and chant free, free Palestine in a mandatory lecture?
03:43 And some faculty have called for a course
03:46 to be suspended and investigated.
03:49 So, have you opened an investigation
03:52 and committed to an investigation today?
03:55 - So, we've undertaken fact-finding
03:57 to find out exactly what happened at that class.
03:59 I'm not familiar with the exact details.
04:01 I actually threw our Office of Compliance,
04:03 and I do believe that the School of Medicine
04:05 is re-looking over its first year program, generally,
04:08 to look at, the faculty committee is looking
04:10 at the course content of the first year program,
04:12 of which this was part of.
04:14 So, there's a review of the first year program
04:16 that I understand, and we are actually now
04:19 trying to confirm the facts of what has been claimed
04:22 during that course.
04:23 - How are you gonna fix that
04:24 and never gonna happen again, though?
04:26 - I think this is one where, again,
04:30 let's find the facts out first of exactly what happened,
04:33 and then we'll figure out what the remedies should be
04:35 to make sure that appropriate behavior occurs in classrooms.
04:39 - So, UCLA receives a lot of federal funding.
04:42 In fact, over $1 billion per year just for research.
04:47 It is a good use of taxpayer funds
04:49 to invite speaker who refer to the October 7th massacre
04:54 as justice.
04:57 Do you condemn the facts that someone at your university
05:01 referred to an October 7th attack on Israel?
05:06 They killed 1,200 people, and hundreds of people
05:10 were kidnapped as justice.
05:13 - Well, again, I'm not familiar with exactly
05:17 the individual you're talking about.
05:20 I think that would be a personnel issue.
05:21 I am deeply offended by statements like that.
05:24 That's personally offensive to me, particularly hurtful,
05:27 and I just would like to learn more about it.
05:30 - Chancellor Block, it seems like I'm not really
05:32 getting any answers from you, but you know what?
05:34 I hope these public universities,
05:37 especially getting federal fundings,
05:39 and you know what, you really have to teach our kids
05:42 how to think, not just brainwashing these kids.
05:45 So, thank you very much, Dr. Fox.
05:47 - I appreciate that.
05:48 I am, thank you.
05:50 - Dr. Adams, you're recognized for five minutes.