On Thursday, UC regents debated a modern-day sequel: how to allow for free speech while protecting students against prejudice. Pro-Israel Jewish students argued that the statement was insufficient and listed some particularly egregious anti-Semitic incidents on UC campuses in the past year, such as Beyda’s nomination hearing and also fliers posted at UC Santa Barbara that blamed Jews for the September 11 terrorist attacks. Others complained that it went too far and would stifle dissent.
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There’s no specific timeline on the UC statement.
“This statement shall not be interpreted to prohibit conduct that is related to the course content, teaching methods, scholarship, or public commentary of an individual faculty member or the educational, political, artistic, or literary expression of students in classrooms and public forums that is protected by academic freedom or free speech principles”, the proposal continues.
At Thursday’s board meeting in UC Irvine, Regent Norman Pattiz said the statement before them didn’t say anything new and didn’t address the reason it was drafted in the first place: a number of instances of anti-Semitism on UC campuses.
Regent Eddie Island, who often has been an advocate for minority and low-income students, will head that panel. “There is a difference between taking a position against a government and calling for its elimination”.
“This is just the beginning”, Lozano said. The goal was to allow for a prompt and effective response to reports of intolerant behavior. On Jan. 31, the exterior of the house of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi at UC Davis was spray-painted with swastikas. They applauded Napolitano’s office for sending the regents a statement that makes no explicit mention of anti-Semitism.
UC student regent Abraham “Avi” Oved, who is from an Israeli American family, delivered a passionate and personal statement. “Accordingly, as discussed at the July Regents meeting, a statement reflecting these principles has been developed and is outlined below for discussion”.
He urged the regents to adopt policies so that no students feel they have to hide their ethnic, racial, religious or sexual identity.
Regent Richard Blum, husband of U.S. Sen. In a similar vein, the grilling of a Jewish candidate for student government at UCLA over how her origins might impact her views on Israel brings to mind Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s disdain for “rootless cosmopolitans”, along with the brutal anti-Semitic campaign that accompanied it. If the university does not adopt strong enough rules, he said, Feinstein would publicly criticize UC. Supporters of Palestinians and faculty objected, arguing that it would infringe upon their free speech rights and academic freedom. Critics say that would silence protests against Israeli policy.
On the other side, Muslim and Jewish activists from Students for Justice in Palestine and the left-wing Jewish Voice for Peace endorsed the current draft.
Several Jewish students and representatives of Jewish advocacy groups continued to urge the board to adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism, which includes statements that demonize Israel, compare Israel’s policies to the policies of Nazi Germany, or hold Israel to standards not applied to other democratic nations.
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“I’m pleased we have a reprieve and they are not going to adopt this milquetoast, meaningless statement, Rossman-Benjamin added to the Los Angeles Times”.
