UPenn President Resigns After Refusing To Condemn Genocidal Rhetoric

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill has resigned amid major criticism of her testimony before congress earlier this week, where she refused to say whether advocating for the genocide of Jews is permissible on campus.

“Dear members of the Penn community,” the university wrote in announcement. “I write to share that President Liz Magill has voluntarily tendered her resignation as President of the University of Pennsylvania.” The school added that Magill will remain a tenured professor at Penn Carney Law.

Magill faced intense pressure to resign after disastrous testimony before congress earlier in the week. When asked for her thoughts on students chanting “intifada” and calling for the dissolution of Israel, Magill said that “context” was important when making a decision and refused to give a concrete answer.

“If the speech turns into conduct it can be considered harassments, yes,” a smirking Magill told Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). “I am asking, specifically calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment?” Stefanik followed up.

“If it is direct and severe or pervasive, it is harassment,” Magill answered.

Stefanik continued to ask if calling for the genocide of Jews goes against university code of conduct, which Magill reiterated that it would depend on context and whether any action was taken.

Magill, as well as the president’s of MIT and Harvard, have faced intense public pressure to resign in the wake of the hearing. The University of Pennsylvania was facing particularly intense criticism, with one donor threatening to withhold his $100 million donation if Magill did not step down.