Psych Org, Student Paper Express Support for Students Alleging Antisemitism from GWU Prof

Both an organization of psychologists and George Washington University’s (GWU) student newspaper are expressing support for the students who are alleging that they experienced antisemitism under Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Lara Sheehi.

As previously reported by the Journal, the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs filed a complaint to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on January 11 that GWU’s failure to act against Sheehi was a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint alleged that Sheehi invalidated the Jewish and Zionist identities of students in class and then retaliated against them when they complained to the university about it.

Psychologists Against Antisemitism, a nonpartisan organization of more than 300 members of the psychology profession, wrote in a January 31 letter to GWU psychology students: “All students—including Jewish and Israeli students, deserve this as part of an accredited program preparing them for licensure as psychologists. We are deeply troubled by the erasure of your voices and the intransigent position held by some of our psychology colleagues that your experiences in a classroom and the professional psychology program at GWU, as outlined by StandWithUs were fabrications.” The group cited a recent statement from American Psychological Association (APA) Division 39 as an example of this; Sheehi is the president of that division. 

“It is most unfortunate that psychologists and academics—those who are trained to value multiculturalism and diversity, while supporting marginalized populations, have taken a clear stance against these students without acknowledging their experiences within the classroom setting,” the Psychologists Against Antisemitism letter stated. “Rather than waiting until the conclusion of the investigation, these professionals have swiftly voiced their stance denouncing any question of antisemitism or harm toward you, the students, in an effort to protect their President—a personal friend and colleague. These individuals have failed to consider how that may, and has, impacted students—students who may have been in Dr. Sheehi’s classroom, students who may be members of APA Division 39, and students across other divisions of the APA who are watching the silencing of their peers— particularly Jewish and Israeli students.”

The day before the Psychologists Against Antisemitism letter, the GW Hatchet student newspaper published an editorial stating that the allegations against Sheehi “fit [a] pattern of discriminatory classroom conduct.” “In January, GWTeach professor Alicia Bitler used the N-word in class, and assistant industry professor of decision science Marie Matta denied a student’s service dog from class. In September, professor of human rights Michael Stoil defended racist comments, including his use of the N-word during a phone call with a provost, to the students in his course,” the editorial stated. “Bitler and Matta apologized for their actions without facing real consequences, while Stoil stood in defense of what he said before stepping down soon after. There’s a difference between academic freedom and blatant discrimination. Sheehi has a right to discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict in her class, with the caveat that no professor has a right to allegedly denigrate students for their heritage. Nor can they hide behind the idea of starting a conversation or tackling a difficult topic to excuse their racist behavior—it’s just wrong.”

The editorial added that “students are looking for more immediate recourse and just outcomes than GW can provide with its slow-moving, opaque internal reporting procedures” and that “something has gone deeply wrong, and GW’s faculty has a problem.” They urged the university “to train faculty to be cognizant of their biases and reconsider the positions of professors who fail to adhere to the values of diversity and inclusion—values GW claims are at the core of this institution.”