Houghton President, Dr. Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., was recently interviewed by Bob Price on the Family Life Network. In discussing recent testimony by other college presidents on Capitol Hill and the rise of antisemitism and hate speech on US college campuses, Lewis unequivocally condemned calls for violence against any group and tolerance for that kind of speech. “There is no place on a college campus for people to call for the extermination or annihilation of another group of people.”

On why Houghton has not seen the same increase in hate speech, Lewis said, “As a Christ-centered institution, we believe that all truth is in fact God’s truth. While there are different perspectives on different issues, particularly when you get into political realms, those different perspectives can’t get to the place where they cause us to be cloudy or unsure on issues of morality and issues of right and wrong. And I think that coupled with the value that we place on life and respecting people and the culture that we work hard to foster where we have difficult conversations respectfully across students from different backgrounds and perspectives helps to create what we’re seeing even in this moment where we’re not experiencing what a lot of our peer institutions are experiencing.”