LOS ANGELES ― The University of California Board of Regents is going back to the drawing board Monday and getting public input after a proposed policy on intolerance was roundly rejected by Jewish organizations that say it doesn’t go far enough to address antisemitism on campuses.
Dozens are expected to voice their opinions at a forum at the University of California, Los Angeles, which has become a focal point in the discussion of freedom of expression on campus after several high-profile incidents.
The university system has become a focal point in the discussion of freedom of expression on campus following several high-profile incidents, including one in which Nazi swastikas were spray painted onto a UC Davis Jewish fraternity house.
The UC’s governing board considered a policy rejecting intolerance and upholding academic freedom drafted by the president’s office at its meeting in September. Jewish groups contested it was too weak and needed to specifically address antisemitism.
“We understand that the university has an obligation to ensure freedom of speech,” said Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a professor at UC Santa Cruz and director of the AMCHA Initiative, which investigates cases of antisemitism on college campuses. “However, they also have an obligation to ensure safety and civil rights.”
Rossman-Benjamin and other Jewish groups want UC to adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism
UC President Janet Napolitano said she believed the university system should adopt the State Department’s definition in a radio interview in May. Her remarks drew criticism from free speech advocates and those critical of Israel’s policy toward Palestine, who said they feared it could be used to silence them.
