Wealthy donors pull funding from from Harvard and U Penn for failure to denounce “antisemitism”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These firms are done.

I am sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians, and (even before this siege of Gaza) don't think the Israeli government is a particularly good actor, but some of the statements coming out of these student groups are totally inappropriate and go against basic decency. Celebrating a terrorist attack isn't okay. And to the extent that they did, I support Davis Polk's decision to fire such people. I work at a corporate law firm too and a basic qualification of the job is that you exercise good judgment. This is textbook bad judgment by people who should know better. It's actually a tremendous liability for a professional services firm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sept 26, message from U Penn president

https://almanac.upenn.edu/articles/from-the-president-provost-and-senior-leaders-a-message-to-the-penn-community

She wants the campus to guard against anti semitism
all while the campus is hosting the Palestinian writers group.

Unless you have specific concerns about this specific “Palestinian writers group”, this sounds like a healthy reminder that being Palestinian doesn’t equal supporting Hamas — just as being Israeli doesn’t equal supporting Netanyahu. And just as being American doesn’t equal being a MAGA Trump supporter. So many people seem to confuse these things, even as they overlook the backlash and criticism that Netanyahu has been getting from even conservative Israelis.


A broad question here is : What is a University supposed to be — and how can educational communities keep their communities safe in the process?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read two articles— see links — about wealthy donors yanking funding from universities that apparently failed to speak out against antisemitism in ways that satisfied the donors. Huntsman — the U Penn donor — was quoted as saying” Silence is antisemitism”. While obviously the donors are free to do as they wish, reading about these recent events has me wondering what sorts of strings get attached to sizable donations — even beyond having buildings and chairs named after donors and assuring that their family members leap the line when it comes to admissions.

When did universities start publicly proclaiming political stances? How many millions is the expected going rate for a Harvard imprimatur? When did the supposed “silence” of what is supposedly a complex and diverse community come to mean “antisemitism “ — and what else might such silences mean ….concerning global and political issues rather than the functioning of the universities themselves? Has demanding official stances in line with donations been the norm all along?

I get donating for a science lab, or a crew tank, or scholarships. These — possibly assumed but perhaps not explicitly discussed — strings attached seem quite different.


https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10

https://www.businessinsider.com/wexner-foundation-pulls-funding-from-harvard-over-stance-israel-hamas-attacks-2023-10

I thought “silence is violence” is a university slogan these days. Or does that not apply when the victims are Jewish?

I generally don’t like the stifling of speech based on any type of moral absolutism. I reject hate speech. I also reject the premise that people somehow can’t discuss “both sides” in the Palestinian-Israel issue, or that they become pariahs if they do openly voice concerns about how both sides act.

The rave kidnapping of Israelis was horrendous, but so is walling off people in ghettos, incrementally setting up new settlements through stolen land annexation, and now forcing 1M Palestinians to somehow relocate south in Gaza and to live in even more cramped, squalid conditions. You think they’ll ever be allowed back? No. The plan is to take that land, too.

If people somehow can’t even discuss these issues and concerns without being shouted down, IN AMERICA, the land of free speech, then I don’t know what to say. That’s pretty fked up.

These donors are free to pull their money, but really no one should be scared to just point out their observations in public.

Also, as an American I am concerned about us being drawn into a wider conflict. So I’m sorry if you can’t fking handle my concerns, but as shown in major news outlets the world is taking sides and it’s getting scary. Russia and China are exploiting this conflict now to curry favor in the Middle East. Israel needs to get its hostages, but also show restraint in Gaza. Shout at me all you want. I don’t fking care.

Funny how bOtH sIdEs is all the rage now that democrats and progressives are having to deal in nuance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just by math alone, there are more students from “elite” universities that need jobs than there are elite job openings. These firms will be ok.

Right. Do people really think Davis Polk not hiring some activist kid who would've left for a public interest job in 2 years after making a dent in students loans is taking the firm down? Get real.

The kids at Elite colleges don't have loans, the are heading West where the real elite jobs are.

Yes, everyone wants to become a code monkey for a do nothing app with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic founders. Sounds elite.

Code monkeys are in Israel and Eastern Europe. Razor sharp Harvard kids who would have been PPT monkeys at Goldman are fleeing to Silicon Valley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just by math alone, there are more students from “elite” universities that need jobs than there are elite job openings. These firms will be ok.

Right. Do people really think Davis Polk not hiring some activist kid who would've left for a public interest job in 2 years after making a dent in students loans is taking the firm down? Get real.

The kids at Elite colleges don't have loans, the are heading West where the real elite jobs are.

Yes, everyone wants to become a code monkey for a do nothing app with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic founders. Sounds elite.

Code monkeys are in Israel and Eastern Europe. Razor sharp Harvard kids who would have been PPT monkeys at Goldman are fleeing to Silicon Valley.

If you haven’t noticed, Silicon Valley isn’t doing so well right now.

Also turns out Silicon Valley isn’t really a fan of Hamas terrorism either.

https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-leaders-web-summit-canel-conference-paddy-cosgrave-israel-palestine-2023-10?amp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just by math alone, there are more students from “elite” universities that need jobs than there are elite job openings. These firms will be ok.

Right. Do people really think Davis Polk not hiring some activist kid who would've left for a public interest job in 2 years after making a dent in students loans is taking the firm down? Get real.

The kids at Elite colleges don't have loans, the are heading West where the real elite jobs are.

Yes, everyone wants to become a code monkey for a do nothing app with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic founders. Sounds elite.

No. They'd rather spend long hours pushing paper at do nothing jobs with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic law firm partners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read two articles— see links — about wealthy donors yanking funding from universities that apparently failed to speak out against antisemitism in ways that satisfied the donors. Huntsman — the U Penn donor — was quoted as saying” Silence is antisemitism”. While obviously the donors are free to do as they wish, reading about these recent events has me wondering what sorts of strings get attached to sizable donations — even beyond having buildings and chairs named after donors and assuring that their family members leap the line when it comes to admissions.

When did universities start publicly proclaiming political stances? How many millions is the expected going rate for a Harvard imprimatur? When did the supposed “silence” of what is supposedly a complex and diverse community come to mean “antisemitism “ — and what else might such silences mean ….concerning global and political issues rather than the functioning of the universities themselves? Has demanding official stances in line with donations been the norm all along?

I get donating for a science lab, or a crew tank, or scholarships. These — possibly assumed but perhaps not explicitly discussed — strings attached seem quite different.


https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10

https://www.businessinsider.com/wexner-foundation-pulls-funding-from-harvard-over-stance-israel-hamas-attacks-2023-10

I thought “silence is violence” is a university slogan these days. Or does that not apply when the victims are Jewish?

I generally don’t like the stifling of speech based on any type of moral absolutism. I reject hate speech. I also reject the premise that people somehow can’t discuss “both sides” in the Palestinian-Israel issue, or that they become pariahs if they do openly voice concerns about how both sides act.

The rave kidnapping of Israelis was horrendous, but so is walling off people in ghettos, incrementally setting up new settlements through stolen land annexation, and now forcing 1M Palestinians to somehow relocate south in Gaza and to live in even more cramped, squalid conditions. You think they’ll ever be allowed back? No. The plan is to take that land, too.

If people somehow can’t even discuss these issues and concerns without being shouted down, IN AMERICA, the land of free speech, then I don’t know what to say. That’s pretty fked up.

These donors are free to pull their money, but really no one should be scared to just point out their observations in public.

Also, as an American I am concerned about us being drawn into a wider conflict. So I’m sorry if you can’t fking handle my concerns, but as shown in major news outlets the world is taking sides and it’s getting scary. Russia and China are exploiting this conflict now to curry favor in the Middle East. Israel needs to get its hostages, but also show restraint in Gaza. Shout at me all you want. I don’t fking care.

Funny how bOtH sIdEs is all the rage now that democrats and progressives are having to deal in nuance.

An amazing coincidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just by math alone, there are more students from “elite” universities that need jobs than there are elite job openings. These firms will be ok.

Right. Do people really think Davis Polk not hiring some activist kid who would've left for a public interest job in 2 years after making a dent in students loans is taking the firm down? Get real.

The kids at Elite colleges don't have loans, the are heading West where the real elite jobs are.

Yes, everyone wants to become a code monkey for a do nothing app with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic founders. Sounds elite.

Code monkeys are in Israel and Eastern Europe. Razor sharp Harvard kids who would have been PPT monkeys at Goldman are fleeing to Silicon Valley.

If you haven’t noticed, Silicon Valley isn’t doing so well right now.

Also turns out Silicon Valley isn’t really a fan of Hamas terrorism either.

https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-leaders-web-summit-canel-conference-paddy-cosgrave-israel-palestine-2023-10?amp

SV is doing better than Goldmanm what are they on their 5th layoff round in a year? Brains is the new capital.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These firms are done.

I am sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians, and (even before this siege of Gaza) don't think the Israeli government is a particularly good actor, but some of the statements coming out of these student groups are totally inappropriate and go against basic decency. Celebrating a terrorist attack isn't okay. And to the extent that they did, I support Davis Polk's decision to fire such people. I work at a corporate law firm too and a basic qualification of the job is that you exercise good judgment. This is textbook bad judgment by people who should know better. It's actually a tremendous liability for a professional services firm.

I would give a promsing young person the chance to redeem themselves and learn something about the need for discretion and independent thought. None of these kids is going to run away and join Hamas. Most (not all - not the NYU student) probably just did not think through the implications of what they were saying.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t these “wealthy” donors just recruit in Israel? Why are they even in the US? If they really feel so strongly about just hiring Jews and supporting Israel why are they not in Israel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another law firm rescinding offers to Harvard and Columbia university students

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/corporations/harvard-letter-israel-columbia-ivy-davis-polk-law-firm-student-rcna120881

Given their roots, I'm surprised Skadden hasn't followed suit. I wonder if the schools will get together and bar firms who rescind offers from recruiting on campus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just by math alone, there are more students from “elite” universities that need jobs than there are elite job openings. These firms will be ok.

Right. Do people really think Davis Polk not hiring some activist kid who would've left for a public interest job in 2 years after making a dent in students loans is taking the firm down? Get real.

The kids at Elite colleges don't have loans, the are heading West where the real elite jobs are.

Yes, everyone wants to become a code monkey for a do nothing app with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic founders. Sounds elite.

No. They'd rather spend long hours pushing paper at do nothing jobs with promises of mythical equity from sociopathic law firm partners.

Expected value from a biglaw job is probably much better than some startup BS and I don't even like biglaw.

The "cool" factor is supposed to offset that, but it's nothing but worthless crap coming out of SV. You telling me to take great pride in the "Uber for dog walking" app that just bleeds VC money, squeezes the life out of independent contractors and tries to skirt regulations, only to not even be profitable?

Truly the stuff these young, bright-minded activists dream of. Gimme a break...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another law firm rescinding offers to Harvard and Columbia university students

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/corporations/harvard-letter-israel-columbia-ivy-davis-polk-law-firm-student-rcna120881

Given their roots, I'm surprised Skadden hasn't followed suit. I wonder if the schools will get together and bar firms who rescind offers from recruiting on campus

The schools themselves are scared and they know where their bread is buttered. Students can't push it too far.

[Anonymous]

As a Penn alum I’m disgusted by Liz Magill’s statements and kissing some billionaire’s butt. She has no spine. She needs to leave or get back to educating. I’m so sick of rich white men telling is what we can or cannot think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read two articles— see links — about wealthy donors yanking funding from universities that apparently failed to speak out against antisemitism in ways that satisfied the donors. Huntsman — the U Penn donor — was quoted as saying” Silence is antisemitism”. While obviously the donors are free to do as they wish, reading about these recent events has me wondering what sorts of strings get attached to sizable donations — even beyond having buildings and chairs named after donors and assuring that their family members leap the line when it comes to admissions.

When did universities start publicly proclaiming political stances? How many millions is the expected going rate for a Harvard imprimatur? When did the supposed “silence” of what is supposedly a complex and diverse community come to mean “antisemitism “ — and what else might such silences mean ….concerning global and political issues rather than the functioning of the universities themselves? Has demanding official stances in line with donations been the norm all along?

I get donating for a science lab, or a crew tank, or scholarships. These — possibly assumed but perhaps not explicitly discussed — strings attached seem quite different.


https://www.businessinsider.com/jon-huntsman-family-stops-donations-penn-university-antisemitism-israel-response-2023-10

https://www.businessinsider.com/wexner-foundation-pulls-funding-from-harvard-over-stance-israel-hamas-attacks-2023-10

I thought “silence is violence” is a university slogan these days. Or does that not apply when the victims are Jewish?

I generally don’t like the stifling of speech based on any type of moral absolutism. I reject hate speech. I also reject the premise that people somehow can’t discuss “both sides” in the Palestinian-Israel issue, or that they become pariahs if they do openly voice concerns about how both sides act.

The rave kidnapping of Israelis was horrendous, but so is walling off people in ghettos, incrementally setting up new settlements through stolen land annexation, and now forcing 1M Palestinians to somehow relocate south in Gaza and to live in even more cramped, squalid conditions. You think they’ll ever be allowed back? No. The plan is to take that land, too.

If people somehow can’t even discuss these issues and concerns without being shouted down, IN AMERICA, the land of free speech, then I don’t know what to say. That’s pretty fked up.

These donors are free to pull their money, but really no one should be scared to just point out their observations in public.

Also, as an American I am concerned about us being drawn into a wider conflict. So I’m sorry if you can’t fking handle my concerns, but as shown in major news outlets the world is taking sides and it’s getting scary. Russia and China are exploiting this conflict now to curry favor in the Middle East. Israel needs to get its hostages, but also show restraint in Gaza. Shout at me all you want. I don’t fking care.

Funny how bOtH sIdEs is all the rage now that democrats and progressives are having to deal in nuance.

Funny how you are in AMERICA, where we did exactly those bolded things to the native population, and still think you have a leg to stand on to criticize another country doing the same thing.