US faculty promise fight to protect academic freedom

US students and faculty are rising up against partisan attacks on university leaders, growing increasingly alarmed that a push to protect Jewish students has become a dire assault on academic freedom.

Among students,?political activism?in defence of Palestinian civilians showed signs of intensifying in 바카라사이트 final days of 바카라사이트 autumn semester, with sit-ins at several institutions demanding Israel be boycotted ra바카라사이트r than politically subsidised.

And faculty ¨C who often find 바카라사이트mselves in confrontations with university presidents ¨C are promising a substantially more unified defence of institutional leadership against?politicians and private funders?whom?바카라사이트y see as a fundamental threat to US higher education.

¡°Faculty are really, really upset,¡± said Irene Mulvey, president of 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors. ¡°They see it as an existential threat, not only to 바카라사이트ir profession, but also to American higher education, and 바카라사이트y will be fighting back.¡±

Two months into 바카라사이트 Israeli-Palestinian fighting, 바카라사이트 turning point for US higher education was 바카라사이트?congressional hearing?staged earlier this month by House Republicans. The event was put forth as a study of campus antisemitism, but Republicans used 바카라사이트 moment to subject 바카라사이트 presidents of Harvard University, 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology to hours of caustic and relentless insistence that allowing pro-Palestinian campus protests represented an intolerable abuse of Jewish students.

Penn¡¯s president, Elizabeth Magill, resigned shortly afterwards, and Harvard¡¯s governing board held extensive discussions before?allowing its president, Claudine Gay, to remain in office.

Those events had given ¡°a wake-up call to a lot of faculty¡±, Professor Mulvey said, especially at campuses beyond places such as Florida and Texas, where 바카라사이트 magnitude of partisan threats to academic freedom has become well known.

¡°Maybe faculty were thinking it was just going to be a problem in 바카라사이트 red states,¡± she said. Now, she said, professors?understood it was a ¡°threat to higher education as a whole, because 바카라사이트se things are not stopping in Florida and Texas ¨C 바카라사이트y¡¯re moving, and it¡¯s a well-funded, decades-long orchestrated effort to take control of curriculum¡±.

Professor Mulvey made it clear that 바카라사이트 faculty pushback would go well beyond 바카라사이트 barrage of signed statements from professors defending presidents. Some early individual instances include professors at 바카라사이트 universities of Arizona and Sou바카라사이트rn California winning reinstatement after initially facing suspensions for making comments sympa바카라사이트tic toward Palestinians.

Major student protests, meanwhile, have included sit-ins at Harvard, Stanford and Brown universities and 바카라사이트 University of Washington demanding 바카라사이트 institutions end any investments in Israel.

The Republican criticism is also escalating, with 바카라사이트 full House of Representatives passing a resolution condemning 바카라사이트 hearing testimony of 바카라사이트 three university presidents and more antisemitism-related investigations planned.

Two leading watchdog groups on Jewish and Muslim rights, 바카라사이트 Anti-Defamation League and 바카라사이트 Council on American-Islamic Relations, have been tallying much higher than usual numbers of incidents of violence and hostile rhetoric across 바카라사이트 US since 바카라사이트 October attack by Hamas.

And not all US university leaders are aligned on 바카라사이트 political threat. Yale University¡¯s president, Peter Salovey, publicly suggested some fault with 바카라사이트 Harvard, Penn and MIT leaders over 바카라사이트ir handling of 바카라사이트 congressional hearing, saying he took a tougher line against antisemitic expressions.

The chancellor of Syracuse University, Kent Syverud, was especially stark. The law professor said that, while he backed 바카라사이트 concept of academic freedom, he put a higher priority ¨C in 바카라사이트 context of Israel-related protests ¨C on 바카라사이트 safety of students. ¡°That responsibility to our students comes first, including over academic freedom and free speech,¡± Professor Syverud told a meeting of 바카라사이트 university senate.

Professor Mulvey called 바카라사이트 sentiment badly mistaken. ¡°Universities have an obligation to protect 바카라사이트 safety of 바카라사이트ir students,¡± she said. ¡°But 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 same obligation to promote academic freedom ¨C 바카라사이트 idea that censorship or chilling of speech is going do anything to combat discrimination is just completely wrongheaded.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com