It's Not Just in the Middle East: Back Home in California

"Yeah, Boys. We're handling the problem."

As events spin out of control in the Middle East, things remain out of control within the University of California. Here is the latest from the AMCHA Initiative trying to get someone in the University of California system to pay attention to the on-going problem of anti-Semitism on UC campuses. Here is their latest exchange with one of the UC Regents.

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Dear UC Regents Chairman Lansing,

On August 14, we sent the Regents a petition signed by more than 1,000 members and supporters of the California Jewish community, including more than 250 UC alumni, more than 250 UC parents, and more than 100 UC donors.  The signatories expressed outrage at the recent decision of the UCLA Academic Senate Committee on Academic Freedom to allow a professor to promote on his class website a boycott of Israel deemed anti-Semitic by the U.S. Department of State.  We are very disappointed by your response (forwarded below).  In particular, we find your silence regarding the concerns of the Jewish community deeply disturbing, for the following reasons:

1) More than 1,000 members and supporters of the Jewish community asked the Regents to publicly acknowledge their legal responsibility to ensure that UC classrooms are free from the promotion of political propaganda, and you were silent.  As you know, the Regents Policy on Course Content (also known as the Regents Policy on Academic Freedom) states:

“They (The Regents) are responsible to ensure that public confidence in the University is justified. And they are responsible to see that the University remain aloof from politics and never function as an instrument for the advance of partisan interest. Misuse of the classroom by, for example, allowing it to be used for political indoctrination… constitutes misuse of the University as an institution.”

In your response, you did not even mention the Regents Policy let alone publicly commit the Regents to its enforcement.  The Regents' abnegation of responsibility in this matter is causing many in the Jewish community to lose confidence in the leadership of the University of California.

2) More than 1,000 members and supporters of the Jewish community expressed their anger and outrage at the fact that a professor used his classroom to promote an anti-Semitic boycott of Israel, and you were silent.  The Regents' unwillingness to exercise the moral authority of their office and their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of speech to condemn the academic and cultural boycott of Israel and all other anti-Jewish bigotry on UC campuses belies your claim that "the Regents do not sanction anti-Semitism at the University of California." 

3) More than 1,000 members and supporters of the Jewish community reached out to the Regents to address their serious concerns about the safety and well-being of Jewish students on UC campuses, and you were silent. We firmly believe that the Regents would not treat the concerns of any other ethnic or minority group with the indifference and insensitivity they have shown to the concerns raised by members of the Jewish community, and we find the Regents' double standard deeply offensive.

We believe the UC Regents owe the Jewish community an apology, and we call on them, once again, to exercise their legal and moral responsibility in this matter.

Please note that Jewish community leaders from across the state have been copied on this email.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Leila Beckwith
Professor Emeritus, University of California at Los Angeles
Co-founder the AMCHA Initiative


Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Lecturer, University of California at Santa Cruz
Co-founder the AMCHA Initiative

Cc: UC Regents

       UC President Mark Yudof

       UC Chancellors 

       UC Provost Dorr
       UC Academic Senate Chair Anderson
       UC Academic Senate Vice Chair Powell
       UC General Counsel Robinson
       UC Secretary and Chief of Staff Kelman
       UC Interim Diversity Coordinator Bernal

       California Governor Jerry Brown

       California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom

       California Speaker of the Assembly John A. Perez

       California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson

      California Senator Fran Pavley (UCLA)

       California Senator Ted W. Lieu (UCLA)

  California Senator Curren D. Price, Jr. (UCLA)

       California Assembly Member Holly J. Mitchell (UCLA)

  California Assembly Member Mike Feuer (UCLA)

       United States Congressman Howard Berman

       United States Congressman Brad Sherman

       California Jewish community leaders

     
Bcc: Members and supporters of the Jewish co

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Here is the letter from someone in Mr Lansing's office they were responding to.

"Dear Professor Beckwith and Ms. Rossman-Benjamin,

On behalf of Chairman Lansing, I want to acknowledge your email of August 14 which included a petition signed by members and supporters of the California Jewish community. Please be clear that the Regents do not sanction anti-Semitism at the University of California. We continue to work to be sure that the UC campuses are safe and welcoming for everyone.

President Yudof, Regent Gould, and Regent Lansing issued the attached statement in May 2010 declaring that they would not bring a recommendation before the Board to divest from companies doing business with the State of Israel.  This continues to be the Board’s position and they feel as strongly about that now as they did then. The Regents will only consider divestment from a foreign government or companies doing business with a foreign government only when the United States government declares that a foreign regime is committing acts of genocide.

The Regents are in agreement with President Yudof that the Senate, and UCLA administration, are handling this matter as stated acording to the University policy and the principles of academic freedom. I will reference your letter in the monthly communications summary sent to the Regents."

Sincerely,

Marsha Kelman

Secretary & Chief of Staff to the Regents

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