Campus Watch July 18, 2024

UC Regent Board Members Signal Crackdown on Encampments

Myriad members of the UC Board of Regents are signaling a no-tolerance policy regarding encampments on campus in the coming academic year.

Regent Richard Leib, who is Jewish and recently stepped down from regent board chair, told the Los Angeles Times that he’s “confident that encampments won’t be tolerated” and that “we need to enforce the rules.” Leib also said that he and other regents were perturbed at how the campuses had varying levels of enforcement toward the encampments and that he is “not in favor of having 1% of the student body basically ruining the school experience for the other 99%.” The Times reported that “many regents and senior leaders backed Leib’s stance” in conversations with the outlet, as the Times quoted Regent Jose Hernandez as saying: “If we are legally able to say ‘Thou shalt not create encampments,’ I think we should enforce that,” he said. “That will alleviate a lot of problems instead of having things percolate and blow up in your face.”

The Times also quoted a UC senior administrator stating that President Michael Drake and UC leaders developing guidelines that would “assume the removal of any immediate encampment.”

Columbia Removes Three Admins Following “Troubling” Texts About Antisemitism Panel

Columbia University announced on July 8 that three senior university administrators have been removed from their positions after “troubling” texts emerged in which the admins denigrated a speakers on a panel discussing antisemitism on campus.

Among the texts in question included “amazing what $$$ can do” and “huge fundraising potential,” per CBS News.

“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” President Minouche Shafik said. “Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community that is antithetical to our University’s values and the standards we must uphold in our community. We are taking action that holds those involved in this incident accountable.”

Provost Angela Olinto also said in the statement that the admins “have been permanently removed from their positions at Columbia College and remain on leave at this time.” The three admins remain employed by the university.

National SJP Instagram Post Calls for Resisting “Zionist Pinkwashing”

National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) posted on Instagram on June 14 a call to “RESIST ZIONIST PINKWASHING.”

The post, according to Campus Reform, states that “Israel puts on a facade of social progress by portraying itself as a uniquely ‘queer-friendly’ place and ‘safe haven’ for LGBTQ+ folks to legitimize colonialism, distract from its violence, and promote a false image of democracy” and that the “mass murder and continuous displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and across historic Palestine should not be justified in the name of queer rights or so-called progressive politics.” 

University of Florida Suspends Six Anti-Israel Protesters

The University of Florida suspended six anti-Israel protesters who were arrested during an April 29 protest.

According to Campus Reform, five of the students are suspended from campus for three years and the sixth will be suspended for four years. The students are appealing their suspensions, calling them a “de facto expulsion” and denied charges that they resisted arrest.

A university spokesperson told Campus Reform that they were “clear from the very beginning that an arrest for violations of prohibited activities would result in an interim suspension and a trespass order for three years.”

Harvard Rescinds Suspension of Five Students Involved in Anti-Israel Encampment

Harvard University’s College Administrative Board rescinded the suspensions of five students who participated in the anti-Israel encampment on July 9.

The Harvard Crimson reported that the students’ suspensions were reduced “to probations of varying lengths” and that “the most severe probation charge will last for just one semester, a remarkable change from the initial punishments which required at least one student to withdraw from the College for three semesters.” The move came following criticism from the Faculty Council. Rabbi David Wolpe told Jewish Insider (JI) that he was “disappointed” at the administrative board’s decision, stating that “punishment is a lesson. Reversing it is permission.” Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi also told JI that the board’s decision was “deeply disturbing” and that anti-Israel protesters will be emboldened by it.

The Palestine Solidarity Committee, Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, and the African and African American Resistance Organization posted an Instagram following Harvard’s reversal: “After sustained student and faculty organizing, Harvard has caved in, showing that student intifada will always prevail.”