It’s no wonder that the public is losing trust in the academy since too many faculty no longer endorse unfettered discussion and debate.
The American Studies Association’s decision to endorse a boycott of Israeli academic institutions sets a dangerous precedent and amounts to the dismantling of academic freedom in favor of political posturing. The boycott paves a slippery road where academic organizations plug their ears and close their eyes toward opposing ideas. Denying Israeli academic organizations’ ability to be heard because of the perceived actions of the state is at best ludicrous, and grotesquely discriminatory.
Chancellor Daniel Diermeier of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee recently warned against the “[p]oliticization of scholarly associations” following the American Association of University Professors’s (AAUP) decision in August to withdraw its opposition to academic boycotts.
Colleges and universities face renewed danger in the coming academic year. There is no doubt that the demonstrators will be back, louder and more determined. They will be better organized, well-funded, and will certainly have legal counsel and media by their side. More campuses will likely be affected. Sadly, the protesters will again show little […]
In late November, Columbia University’s Student Council voted to put the question of whether to recommend that the university divest “from companies that profit from or engage in the State of Israel’s acts towards Palestinians” to a full vote of the undergraduate student body. It was the third time that the council considered a divestment referendum in four […]
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