Top brass at big US universities are getting tangled up in questions of political alignment as Israel’s aggression in Gaza continues: University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill stepped down over the weekend after facing backlash over her testimony during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism, according to a statement. Magill’s “voluntary” resignation came after she said at the hearing that these situations would require “a context-dependent decision,” prompting wide-spread calls, including a petition with 23k signatures, for her removal.

Financial repercussions: Prior to Magill’s resignation, a major UPenn donor decided to withdraw a USD 100 mn grant, BBC reported.

The hearings point to questions on how academic leaders’ political alignments should be treated amid the ongoing violence in Gaza, particularly as both antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiment has jumped across the US. MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Harvard University President Claudine Gay were also questioned in the same congressional hearing, and are under pressure to take a strong stance against antisemitism, the Financial Times and Washington Post note.

Shoppers are leaning into loyalty points and rewards: Some 39% of shoppers in the US — where spending is at an all time high — are relying on their saved up loyalty points to reduce the price or not pay for their holiday shopping, according to this PayPal article. Retailers have used this “game-like” structure to bring in more customers since the holiday season makes up a significant portion of their annual revenue, according to New York Times.

Here at home, we have (kind of) similar programs: Homegrown BNPL players offer loyalty programs and other reward systems — ValU and Telda offer cashback options, points, discounts, and products without charge based on previous spending value. Retailers are also looking at other setups, such as upscale fashion retailer Ego, which is offering gold coins as a cashback option. Shoppers who spend EGP 25k will receive a quarter gold coin, while those who spend a cool EGP 500k will be able to receive a gold bar weighing one ounce, as well as half a kilo of silver.

Tags: