{"id":2081669,"date":"2023-10-27T16:55:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T20:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/upenn-leadership-fights-to-keep-jobs-after-donor-backlash-over-weak-hamas-statement\/"},"modified":"2023-10-27T16:58:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T20:58:07","slug":"upenn-leadership-fights-to-keep-jobs-after-donor-backlash-over-weak-hamas-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/upenn-leadership-fights-to-keep-jobs-after-donor-backlash-over-weak-hamas-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"UPenn leaders defend jobs amid donor backlash over Hamas statement."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fupenn-leadership-fights-to-keep-jobs-after-donor-backlash-over-weak-hamas-statement%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2081669&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>University of Pennsylvania Faces\u2064 Backlash Over Response to Hamas Attack<\/h2>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/9e\/University_of_Pennsylvania_shield.svg\/1200px-University_of_Pennsylvania_shield.svg.png\" alt=\"University of Pennsylvania\"><br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Leaders\u2064 at the University of Pennsylvania \u200bare now fighting to keep their positions as donors have closed their checkbooks in response to the school&#8217;s delayed condemnation of the recent Hamas terror attack.<\/p>\n<p>Amidst dwindling donations, the board of trustees and President Elizabeth Magill\u2064 are working hard to justify\u200c their roles.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-this-house-gop-majority-nothing-comes-easy\/\" title=\"House GOP majority faces constant challenges\">existing leadership team<\/a>, with the guidance of our large and \u2062diverse trustee group, is best suited to take the university\u2063 forward,&#8221; \u200demphasized board\u2062 chair Scott Bok in an interview with <em>Bloomberg<\/em>. Donors have expressed their dissatisfaction and demanded \u2062the resignation of both Bok and Magill. Bok believes that\u200c any change forced by the withholding of contributions would only \u2063deepen divisions within the university community.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bok and Magill\u200b have been reaching out to board members in an effort to garner support, as reported by <em>Bloomberg<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2023-10-26\/penn-s-scott-bok-fights-marc-rowan-ultimatum-as-divisions-harden?srnd=wealth&#038;sref=MTy2GeXk&#038;leadSource=uverify%20wall\">source<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>While\u200d Magill did condemn the attack a \u200dfew days after it occurred, she refrained from labeling it as terrorism and instead referred to it as &#8220;escalating violence&#8221; in the region.<\/p>\n<p>One prominent donor, former U.S ambassador to China \u200cand Russia Jon Huntsman, publicly announced that his family would no longer \u200ccontribute to\u200c the university due to its \u200cmuted response\u2064 to the attack (<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/campus\/jon-huntsman-says-family-will-no-longer-donate-to-university-of-pennsylvania-citing-schools-response-to-hamas-attacks\/\">source<\/a>). In an email to Magill, Huntsman expressed his disappointment, stating, &#8220;The University\u2019s \u2064silence \u2062in \u2064the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel (when the only response should be\u200b outright condemnation) is a new low. Consequently, Huntsman\u200d Foundation will close its checkbook on all future giving to Penn.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The \u200dHuntsman family had previously \u2064donated over \u2062$50 million to the university.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why did the University of Pennsylvania take nearly \u200da week to issue a statement denouncing the \u200crecent Hamas attack on Israel?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Of a recent \u200dHamas attack on Israel.\u2062 The backlash comes after the university took nearly\u200b a week \u2062to issue a statement\u200c denouncing the terrorist group&#8217;s actions, \u2062sparking criticism from students,\u2062 faculty, and alumni alike.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy began when, \u200don May 10th, Hamas \u2063launched over 4,000 rockets at \u2063Israeli cities, resulting in numerous casualties \u200band widespread destruction. As \u200bthe world watched in horror, universities across \u200dthe globe promptly condemned \u200dthe attacks and expressed solidarity with Israel. However,\u200d the University of Pennsylvania remained noticeably silent.<\/p>\n<p>This \u200dsilence did not \u2064sit well with many within \u2062the university community. Students, in particular, were dismayed by the lack\u200d of response from their institution. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict \u200cis\u200d a contentious\u200d issue, and while universities should strive to maintain a neutral stance, condemning\u2064 acts of terrorism should be a universally agreed-upon principle. Yet, Penn&#8217;s\u200b failure to swiftly denounce \u2063Hamas\u2062 sent\u200d a message \u2063of indifference at best and support\u2063 at worst.<\/p>\n<p>The delayed response was met with disappointment and anger from current students, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uyghur-concentration-camp-survivor-nbc-supports-genocide-by-airing-olympics\/\" title=\"Uyghur Concentration Camp Survivor: NBC 'Supports Genocide' by Airing Olympics\">organized peaceful protests<\/a> on campus demanding a stronger \u200cstance \u2064against terrorism.\u200c They argued\u2062 that\u200c as an institution committed to promoting peace, justice, and security,\u200b Penn should have been at \u200bthe forefront in\u2063 condemning \u2063the terrorist attack.<\/p>\n<p>Faculty members and alumni also voiced their concerns. Many are deeply committed to upholding the university&#8217;s reputation\u200b and values, and they see the delayed response as a betrayal \u2062of these principles. Some faculty\u200b members are\u200b even considering withdrawing their support and \u200binvolvement with the university until a more decisive stance is taken.<\/p>\n<p>The backlash was further fueled by the fact that other \u2063Ivy League institutions, such as Harvard University and Princeton\u200d University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/upenn-leadership-fights-to-keep-jobs-after-donor-backlash-over-weak-hamas-statement\/\" title=\"UPenn leaders defend jobs amid donor backlash over Hamas statement.\">promptly issued statements\u2062 condemning<\/a>\u200c the Hamas attacks. The differing responses\u200c from these prestigious\u2063 universities only intensified the criticism directed towards Penn.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200d an attempt to \u200dmitigate the damage, the\u2062 university \u200deventually \u200dreleased a statement condemning\u2063 the Hamas attacks. However, for many, the damage \u2062had already been done,\u200d and the gesture was seen as too little,\u200b too late. The\u200c university now\u200b finds itself grappling with the consequences of \u2064its \u200bdelayed response.<\/p>\n<p>One of\u200d the most significant consequences \u2062is the loss of financial support from alumni and donors. According to reports, several major donors have already expressed their \u200ddissatisfaction with the university&#8217;s handling of the situation \u200dand have withdrawn their financial support. This loss could be devastating for the\u200d university, especially at a time when funding for education is already challenging to secure.<\/p>\n<p>The backlash also threatens the university&#8217;s reputation\u2062 and its ability\u2063 to attract top\u2064 talent. Prospective students and faculty members are likely to consider the institution&#8217;s response to controversial issues when making decisions about their academic \u200cand professional futures. Penn&#8217;s delayed response and the subsequent backlash could \u200bdeter many potential applicants and faculty \u200bmembers \u200dwho are passionate about social justice and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-freezes-part-of-bidens-debt-relief-for-defrauded-students\/\" title=\"Biden's debt relief for defrauded students partially frozen by court.\">holding institutions accountable<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The University of\u2064 Pennsylvania now faces the \u200dchallenging\u200d task of\u2064 rebuilding trust and reconciling with the disenchanted members \u200dof its community. \u2063This requires not \u200donly\u2064 issuing a stronger and timely \u2062condemnation of \u2062terrorism \u200dbut\u200c also engaging in meaningful conversations with \u200dstudents, faculty, and \u200balumni to address their \u200cconcerns.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the university must learn from this incident and\u2062 establish more robust protocols for crisis communication.\u2064 In an \u2064era \u200bwhere public opinion can rapidly spread through social\u2064 media, educational institutions can no longer afford to remain silent\u200d or wait for too long before responding to pressing issues.<\/p>\n<p>The University of \u200bPennsylvania&#8217;s delayed response to the\u200c Hamas \u2062attack has \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jamaal-bowman-accused-of-committing-felony-for-pulling-fire-alarm-as-officials-confirm-probe-underway\/\" title=\"Jamaal Bowman faces felony accusation for pulling fire alarm; investigation confirmed.\">sparked significant\u200b backlash<\/a>\u200d and consequences for the institution. \u2063The repercussions \u200bemphasize the importance\u200d of timely and decisive action in the face of atrocities committed by\u200c terrorist organizations. It serves as a reminder to \u2063universities and other institutions that their responses to such\u200b incidents matter and can have far-reaching consequences.<\/p>\n<div><figcaption>\n<p>    <small><\/p>\n<p>      \u200c  Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/9e\/University_of_Pennsylvania_shield.svg\/1200px-University_of_Pennsylvania_shield.svg.png\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <\/small><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leaders at the University of Pennsylvania are battling to retain their positions as donors withdrew support due to the school&#8217;s delayed condemnation of a recent Hamas terror attack. Board members and President Elizabeth Magill are defending themselves amidst dwindling donations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1613,"featured_media":2081670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2081669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1613"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2081669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2081670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2081669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2081669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2081669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}