As someone who has been lecturing in front of classes on
college campuses for nearly two decades, I strongly support academic freedom
and free speech on our college campuses.
This, of course, means that there will be ideas expressed which I will
find quite repulsive. But students of
mine have received A's for term papers espousing viewpoints totally opposite my
own when they write the papers logically and document their research well.
As recently mentioned in the
posting
of 1 February 2013, some anti-Israel students and faculty at Brooklyn
College had planned a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions event.
Karen Gould, President of Brooklyn College,
defended the scheduling of the event, insisting that academic freedom was
paramount, and that the hosting of the event by Brooklyn College did not
necessarily imply agreement with it.
So far, I must grudgingly back Karen on this one.
And, quite frankly, the protesters, with their retinue of
elected officials in agreement (read pandering for votes), did play their hand
a bit strongly, thus casting the BDS people into an underdog position to elicit
public sympathy
Brooklyn College's official mouthpiece claimed that the
ejectees had misbehaved and were unruly, but an audio recording strongly
suggests that Brooklyn College's official version of the events
was
an out and out lie.
I will note that according to CUNY's
Manual
on General Policy, not only is such discrimination prohibited, but the
Presidents of the individual colleges (that's you, Ms. Gould!) are responsible
for ensuring that such a policy is carried out.
The politics of CUNY in particular, and New York in general,
are too complex for me to predict with certainty the repercussions from this
event, other than that there will be some sort of repercussions. But Chancellor Goldstein, Chief Counsel
Schaffer (who is the point man for the investigation), President Gould and VP
Morales cannot all emerge unscathed from the event. I would not be surprised in the least to see
some personnel changes in the coming months.
And I do not expect Goldstein or Schaffer to throw their capes over the
mud so that Gould or Morales can keep their slippers clean when they walk.
The main entrance to the Brooklyn College campus has a
wrought iron
gate with the words "Brooklyn College" wrought into the
lintel.
What Goldstein and Schaffer do
or do not do will determine whether at two-word legend above the gate should be
updated to read "Arbeit Macht Frei."
Labels: Academic Freedom, antisemitism, Brooklyn College, Freedom of Expression
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