Campus Watch September 28, 2023

Roger Waters Says He Was Banned from Speaking at Penn

Former Pink Floyd bassist and frontman Roger Waters posted a video to social media claiming that the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) banned him from speaking on campus at the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and that he would have to speak at the festival virtually as a result. However, the university is claiming that they were under the impression from the beginning that Waters would be speaking virtually and that Waters speaking in-person was a last-minute request.

Waters said in the video that he was told that he couldn’t attend the festival because the university had arranged for him to speak via Zoom. “And the fact that I have come all the way here to be present because I care deeply about the issues that are being discussed apparently cuts no ice with the campus police or whoever it is,” Waters said. 

A university spokesperson, however, told the Journal that “organizers of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival indicated from the beginning, and confirmed multiple times, that Mr. Waters would be participating in the event virtually.” “On Wednesday, September 20, less than 48 hours before the start of the event, the organizers communicated the change to in-person attendance to the University Life Space & Events team,” the spokesperson added. “We were unable to accommodate this request, as it would have required significant changes to event coordination, as well as additional campus safety and security resources that were unavailable on such short notice. Therefore, the University asked both the organizers and Mr. Waters’ management to honor the understanding from the beginning that he would not be appearing in person.”

Philadelphia Magazine reported that Susan Abulhawa, the executive director of the festival, told the outlet that “she had informed Penn of the change to in-person closer to 72 hours in advance and that she even raised more money to cover the costs of added security, to no avail.”

Penn Hillel Vandalized

The University of Pennsylvania’s (UPenn) Hillel was vandalized on September 21 by a perpetrator who allegedly shouted antisemitic remarks while doing so.

“Penn Police responded yesterday to reports of an individual shouting antisemitic obscenities and overturning furniture at Penn Hillel,” University President Elizabeth Magill and other university said in a statement on September 22. “The individual was determined to be in crisis and was quickly and safely removed and referred for medical evaluation. This troubling incident came in the wake of another upsetting occurrence at the Weitzman School of Design, where a group of students found a swastika painted on the wall of a spray booth, a small room that is used for painting projects, on the fourth floor of Meyerson Hall.” The statement continued: “We unequivocally condemn such hateful acts. They are an assault on our values and mission as an institution and have no place at Penn. Sadly, incidents of hatred, including antisemitic rhetoric and acts that denigrate Jewish people, have become all too common. That these incidents happened on our campus, in our spaces, is deeply unsettling.”

Antisemitic Graffiti at UT Austin

The University of Texas Austin announced that an act of antisemitic vandalism occurred on or nearby the campus.

FOX 7 Austin reported on September 22 that the university said in a statement: “The University has received reports of antisemitic vandalism on or near the campus. This conduct is not constitutionally protected speech. UT condemns these actions and will refer for discipline any University-associated individuals found to have vandalized University or city property. Moreover, the University condemns acts taken against people because of their race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Such conduct does not align with our institutional values. Our University supports and celebrates the diversity of our community.” According to FOX 7, the vandalism was “graffiti with white supremacy symbolism… outside a sorority house.”

High School Football Coach Resigns After Team Used “Nazi” As Play Call

The coach of the Brooklyn (Ohio) High School football team resigned on September 25 after his team repeatedly used the word “Nazi” to call out plays during a game on September 22.

According to various media reports, Brooklyn’s opponent, Beachwood High School, informed officials during the first half about the use of the term and threatened to pull their players from the game if the Brooklyn team continued to use the word. Brooklyn Head Coach Tim McFarland apologized for the use of the term and the word was not used again for the remainder of the game. However, the superintendent of the Beachwood school district said in a statement the next day that multiple players on the Brooklyn team “used a racial slur freely throughout the night.”

Brooklyn Superintendent Theodore Caleris announced McFarland’s resignation in a September 25 announcement and that McFarland has expressed his sincerest regrets over what happened and apologized for the incident. “While to the district’s knowledge the language was not directed to any single individual, the Brooklyn City Schools acknowledges that using such offensive language in the first place was utterly and absolutely wrong,” Caleris said.