Arthur Zankel Music Center, Skidmore College (Photo by Peter Flass at English Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license) After initially denying a trial period to a progressive Zionists club on campus, Skidmore College reversed course on the matter on March 19.
A spokesperson for the college said in a statement to the Journal that on March 19, the college’s Club Affairs Committee had a follow-up discussion with the Progressive Zionists for Peace (PZP) club “to clarify technical matters of definition and scope, and the Club Affairs Committee voted to move the club into a trial period. This was never an issue of religion or ideology. Skidmore does not and will not tolerate anti-Semitism or religious discrimination of any kind. Skidmore seeks to create a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for all, and there is no place for discrimination at Skidmore.”
On March 13, the committee had initially denied PZP a trial period over concerns “that a dialogue focused club with one perspective being conveyed could be troublesome.” This resulted in backlash from various Jewish groups as well as a free speech group, all of whom pointed out that the committee had granted the trial period to a Students for Justice in Palestine club without any qualms.
“While it’s great to see a progressive Zionist club now being allowed at Skidmore, we’re extremely suspicious why it took public outrage for it to happen in the first place,” Liora Rez, director of the Stop Antisemitism watchdog, said in a statement to the Journal.
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