I remember Nina Lowey (D-NY) as the lady who was shoved aside from running for a New York Senate seat so Hillary Clinton could run instead. Anyway, she is still in the House of Representatives, and she has written a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asking him to do something about the funding that is going to various Middle east studies departments that are little more than fronts for anti-Israel indoctrination and anti-Semitism to boot.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lowey to Education Secretary: Misuse of Higher Education Act Title VI Funding could Stoke the Flames of anti-Semitism
September 29, 2014
Concerns about Anti-Israel Bias in Academic Programs Receiving Federal Funds Must be Addressed
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today sent a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan urging him to immediately adopt standards to prevent imbalanced higher education programs with anti-Israel attitudes from receiving federal funding.
Lowey’s letter to Duncan comes in response to a statement from several education and Jewish advocates proclaiming that institutions are misusing Higher Education Act Title VI funding, which seeks to help colleges and universities enhance instruction in foreign language and international studies. A comprehensive report is available here, including complaints that certain Middle East studies programs have become unfairly anti-Israel.
“Anti-Semitism is a scourge on society that has far-reaching and dangerous effects. The Department of Education must address concerns that a number of imbalanced programs of Middle East Studies are disproportionately focused on and are biased against Israel,” said Lowey. “Incidents of anti-Semitism have spiked worldwide in recent months, including many that were borne out of protests against Israel’s acts of self-defense against the terrorist group Hamas. It is vital to ensure that academic programs do not become tilted against Israel in a way that engenders anti-Semitism or criticism of Israel that devolves into the defamation of the Jewish people.”
The full letter is below:
September 29, 2014
Secretary Arne Duncan
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave SW
Washington, DC 20202
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave SW
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Secretary Duncan,
During a hearing in April, you and I discussed the International Education and Foreign Language Studies program, which advances national security, foreign policy, and economic interests. We agreed that it was necessary to strengthen Title VI of the Higher Education Act.
I was alarmed to read the attached statement from several education and Jewish advocates proclaiming a misuse of federal funds and that some recipients “fail to satisfy Title VI’s intended purpose, flout congressional intent, and thwart American national security and foreign policy interests.” The statement mentioned a number of problems with imbalanced programs of Middle East Studies that are disproportionately focused on and are biased against Israel. This could engender anti-Semitism or criticism of Israel that devolves into the defamation of the Jewish people.
Over the past year, your Department has revised many Title VI program performance measures. While those measures have focused on quantitative metrics, I strongly urge you to immediately adopt standards to prevent imbalanced programs, particularly those that may spread anti-Semitic attitudes, from receiving funds. Additionally, as Congress considers amendments to the Higher Education Act, I am interested in any proposals you may have to reform Title VI to exclude programs with a strong anti-Israel bias.
Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to working with you to improve Title VI programs.
Sincerely,
Nita M. Lowey
Member of Congress
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well done, Ms Lowey. Who says I never say anything nice about Democrats?
No comments:
Post a Comment