The UC and Good Sense

The University of California Board of Regents displayed uncommon good sense and restraint this past week in dealing with the volatile issue of anti-Semitism at the university.

They considered a “>demanding that the Regents incorporate in their statement the United States State Department's “>here).

Likely in response to her and others’ demands the statement was amended to read, “Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism and other forms of discrimination have no place at the University of California.”  There are obvious issues with this formulation of the university’s principles since there are folks who may be anti-Zionist (like it or not) who are neither bigots nor racists, just politically opposed to Israel. As much as I and others committed to the Jewish state may find their views abhorrent, they are within the political discourse that is, and should be, protected, especially at the university.

As UCLA law professor, Eugene Volokh (a First Amendment scholar), “>press attention and the flood of “>UCLA and “>white, Zionist f*cks”. The initial response from the administration was “the students have a First Amendment right to publish want they want, we don’t comment on what we can’t prevent.” When their rationale for inaction was countered with the facts that the paper was paid for by the university, that there was a faculty advisor and that ads for the paper were solicited by the university—the tone changed a bit and a tepid