Justice Needed at USC

Back in the 1980s, when indictments against federal government officials were still a novelty, a man by the name of Ray Donovan resigned his position as Secretary of Labor after being charged with larceny and fraud in connection with a New York construction project. More than two years after leaving office in shame and humiliation, Donovan was ultimately acquitted, at which point he asked a famous question: “Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?”

John Strauss, a USC economics professor who believes — with some justification — that Hamas members are murderers, can now ask the same question. Readers of columns like this one are probably already familiar with Strauss’ ordeal. But as a reminder:

Last November, a few weeks after Hamas terrorists had murdered more than 1,200 Israelis, Professor Strauss walked past an on-campus protest after his class. In response to a protester who had taunted him for his support of Israel, Strauss replied:

“Hamas are murderers. That’s all they are. Everyone should be killed, and I hope they all are killed.”

A deceptively edited version of that statement, which omitted the reference to Hamas and included only the final sentence, quickly went viral, along with claims that Strauss had been referring to all Palestinians rather only the members of the terrorist organization that he specifically referenced.

The ensuing uproar caused the university to panic, and Strauss was quickly placed on administrative leave and barred from campus. The leave was rescinded a few days later, but he was not permitted on campus — even to teach — until the ban was lifted the day after fall semester had ended. But the investigation and threat of disciplinary action continued for months, before USC quietly exonerated Strauss last week, dismissing the complaints that the protesters had filed against him. The decision was made public by the Academic Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides support for faculty members involved in free speech controversies. The university did not confirm or deny the decision in response to media inquiries, citing confidentiality protocols.

Strauss is now free to continue his academic career, but only after more than half a year of living under a cloud of suspicion, facing innumerable invective-laden emails and other hateful correspondence from his detractors, and confronting the realization that no matter how much more he accomplishes in his already exemplary academic career, this episode may overshadow a lifetime of intellectual and instructional success and achievement. To paraphrase Raymond Donovan, which office does Joseph Strauss go to get his reputation back?

USC has no such office. But they can and should apologize to a respected faculty number whose life was turned upside down this year for no good reason. Even a belated apology would be the right thing, not just for Strauss himself but to let faculty and students know that their rights – and reputations – will be protected from similarly unwarranted attack in the future.

USC is not the only university to struggle in this current highly-charged climate. The Anti-Defamation League’s recent Campus Antisemitism Report Card gave the Trojans a “C.” (By way of comparison, UCLA received a failing grade, as did Northwestern and Michigan. Stanford, Berkeley and Columbia all got “D’s.”) USC received credit for convening and accepting the recommendations of an Advisory Committee on Jewish Life more than a year before the Hamas attacks, and for hosting a regional summit on antisemitism in higher education shortly after the Gaza war began. But the ADL report also noted the university’s mishandling of the forced resignation of a student government leader in 2020 who stepped down under unrelenting attacks for her pro-Israel activism, in addition to its blunders in reaction to this year’s on-campus discord.

USC’s leaders cannot erase the damage that has been caused over the last seven months of John Strauss’ life. But they do owe him an apology, which is already long overdue.

USC’s leaders cannot erase the damage that has been caused over the last seven months of John Strauss’ life. But they do owe him an apology, which is already long overdue.

(Note: I am an adjunct instructor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communications. I have not written anything in this column different from what I would write about any other college or university.)

Dan Schnur is the U.S. Politics Editor for the Jewish Journal. He teaches courses in politics, communications, and leadership at UC Berkeley, USC and Pepperdine. He hosts the monthly webinar “The Dan Schnur Political Report” for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall. Follow Dan’s work at www.danschnurpolitics.com.