One of my friends and colleagues brought the below message to my attention which comes from the Cross Cultural Center at UC-Irvine. It raises some questions in my mind, which I will address at the end of the message (below).
http://www.ccc.uci.edu/
"Dear student leaders and Cross-Cultural Center Community members,
As the Director of the Cross-Cultural Center, I want you to know that I have been deeply disturbed and horrified at the recent events that have played out at UCSD within the past weeks. These racial incidents have me greatly concerned for the UCSD community, the overall well-being of our own campus, and the Cross-Cultural Center student community. I speak on behalf of the Cross-Cultural Center staff in condemning all student behavior that is disrespectful, offensive, and degrading to any person or group of individuals. There is no place for racism or any other form of discrimination on our college campuses, and we must all hold ourselves and one another accountable for ensuring that campus civility is upheld.
Undoubtedly, the latest incidents at UC San Diego have impacted African American students most deeply, as well as those advocates, allies, and other disenfranchised student and staff groups who are concerned about the campus climate for students of color. With that in mind, I urge you to reach out and support your peers in every way that you know how, and seek assistance if you need help in any way. The Cross-Cultural Center staff is available for support, and we encourage you to take advantage of other campus resources if necessary. (Counseling Center, Dean of Students office, etc.)
In times like these, we will continue to dedicate much of our time and resources to the Cross-Cultural Center initiatives that have a significant impact on raising awareness and enhancing the campus climate of our institution. Programs such as REACH and our upcoming Deconstruction Week will remain a high priority for us. The Umbrella Council is hard at work advocating on behalf of our community. We hope that each of you are willing to play a part in helping ensure a welcoming and inclusive campus.
If anyone is interested in sharing your ideas with the CCC staff, we hope that you are able to attend the townhall meeting scheduled this Monday, March 1st at 7 pm in the Dr. White Conference Room. If you are unable to attend, please feel free to stop by the CCC offices on Tuesday, March 2nd. I have cleared my entire schedule from 8-5 pm to be available for students."
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Huie
Director, Cross-Cultural Center
University of California, Irvine
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Comment: I too am concerned about the recent events at UC San Diego, of which I have written. I am also pleased that the students at UCSD rallied around their African-American fellow-students to show their support.
I am also concerned about events that have been on-going at our own campus at UCI for several years, of which I have also written. If you are wondering what I am referring to, you need wait no longer than the next Israel Apartheid Week, which we expect to see sometime around May and which was held in various parts of the country earlier this month. I am also concerned about the February 8 incident here at UCI when Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech was disrupted by members of the Muslim Student Union (MSU). Unfortunately, that incident wasn't mentioned in Mr Huie's message.
Neither was there any mention of the annual Israel Apartheid events that occur at UCI, which are sponsored by the MSU. Depending on whom the MSU brings in as speakers next time, there well may be words spoken that should concern Mr Huie as well. If, as expected, Amir Abdel Malik Ali returns to UCI, we may hear more talk about Israel being wiped out. Perhaps we will hear Ali refer to Rupert Murdoch as a "straight-up Zionist Jew" as he has in the past. Indeed, Mr Ali throws the term, "Zionist Jew" around quite freely, as if adding the word "Zionist" makes it acceptable. It is nothing more than a code word for "Jew".
If Mohammed al-Asi returns, I expect he will repeat his mantra that "there is a psychosis in the Jewish community", and that "you can take a Jew out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the Jew".
No doubt the MSU will put up their famous "Apartheid Wall" with various images pasted onto it. Will they still show the picture of Ann Frank wearing a Keffiya? Will they show that famous caricature of Ariel Sharon depicted as a stereo-typical Jew, thick lips, huge hooked nose and leering look on his face, right out of the style of Julius Streicher's "Der Stuermer"? Will they show a torn and bloodied Israeli flag?
In fact, I would submit that during Israel-Apartheid Week, there may be several Jewish students on this campus, some of Israeli descent, who might feel the need for the CCC's services. I hope the CCC won't neglect them since they may not fit into the definition of "disenfranchised"-whatever that term means in 21st century America.
I am not pretending to speak for the Jewish students on this campus. I am neither a Jew nor a student. They can each take care of themselves and surely, many of them don't even agree with me. My point here is that with all due respect to the troubling incidents at UCSD, we have an issue right here at UCI which also merits the attention of the CCC.
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