Over 300 college and university presidents across the country signed a petition appearing in today’s New York Times decrying intimidation on college campuses.
The statement found its origins among several current and former college presidents worried over a series of incidents on campuses last spring in which Jewish students were targeted.
The original letter came from past and present leaders at Dartmouth University, Howard University, George Washington University and Notre Dame, among others.
Jeff Reuben, spokesperson for the National Hillel Office, an organization devoted to furthering Jewish interest on college campuses, said the petition is a step in the right direction.
“The petition calls for students to speak their minds, intimidation-free,” Reuben said. “Any time an effort like this is made, it’s good news for students everywhere.”
Three University of Wisconsin presidents and chancellors will sign the petition. They include the leaders of UW-Green Bay, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh.
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley is not among those signing the petition.
“We agreed with the petition’s arguments and signed off on it,” said Charles Clarke, executive assistant to the chancellor at UW-Stevens Point. “The chancellor believed in what the petition said.”
The American Jewish Committee is facilitating the distribution of the letter.
The full version of the editorial appears on a press release from the American Jewish Committee’s website. The editorial hopes to see open classroom debates without the fear of violent backlash.
“Our classrooms are open to all students, and classroom discussions must be based on sound ideas,” the editorial reads. “Our campus debates will be conducted without threats, taunts or intimidation.”
A spokesperson for the AJC said the editorial had been in the works since violence toward Jewish students increased dramatically in the spring.
“In the past few months, students who are Jewish or supporter’s of Israel’s right to exist — Zionists — have received death threats and threats of violence,” the editorial reads. “Property connected to Jewish organizations has been defaced or destroyed. Posters and websites displaying libelous information or images have been wildly circulated, creating an atmosphere of intimidation.”
Recently, the Campus Watch website has come under fire for creating dossiers on college professors it views as anti-Israel. Campus Watch has removed dossiers of the professors, but critiques remain.
Recently, the Anti-Defamation League and the Hillel Council of Colorado expressed “grave concern about rising anti-Semitism on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.” The two groups are calling upon university officials to “take immediate steps to assure the safety of Jewish students.”
The editorial ends by calling on the American public to join those signing the petition in helping to create intimidation-free campuses.
“These practices and others, directed against any person, group or cause, will not be tolerated on campuses,” the editorial reads. “All instances will be investigated and acted upon so that the campus will remain devoted to ideas based on rational consideration. We call on the American public and all members of the academic community to join us.”
