CUNY needs overhaul to combat ‘alarming’ antisemitism fueled by profs, do-nothing higher-ups: damning state probe
CUNY needs a top-to-bottom overhaul to combat “alarming’’ antisemitism fanned by its own faculty and do-nothing higher-ups, according to a damning independent probe commissioned by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“I feel compelled to note that recently there has been an alarming number of unacceptable antisemitic incidents targeting members of the CUNY community,” widely respected retired state Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman said in a letter to Hochul accompanying Tuesday’s release of the stinging findings after a 10-month review.
“So many people do not feel safe on campuses and that’s at the heart of the problem.”
Some City University of New York campus presidents and faculty are part of the problem for aiding or not cracking down on the hatred for Jewish people at the massive public university system, according to the sweeping, 146-page analysis.
The blistering report, prepared for the state pro bono by Lippman and associates at his law firm Latham & Watkins LLP, calls out professors — though not by name — for fanning the flames of divisiveness and hatred instead of defusing tensions and encouraging peaceful dialogue.
“Some faculty stir the pot,” Lippman told The Post.
He said professors have free-speech rights but emphasized in the report that they can do more to promote dialogue “rather than inflame conflict, which we often found to be the case.”
CUNY consists of 25 institutions including 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, a graduate center, a law school and other programs.
The public university’s college presidents also came under fire for weak leadership in combating the hatred because they were more concerned about their campus’s reputation.
The report found some of CUNY’s college presidents were “hesitant” to employ uniformed officers to handle potentially violent protests and protect students “because they believed doing so would likely result in bad publicity.
“That is unacceptable,” Lippman said in the report.
The study called for closer coordination between CUNY schools and law enforcement and its own security officers to bolster public safety.
The report offered 13 recommendations, many of which it said should be implemented or put in motion immediately.
Among them:
– Creating a center to focus solely on antisemitism and discrimination and to be used as a resource by all campuses.
– Hiring an antisemitism and hate monitor to make sure discrimination is being adequately addressed.
– Starting a victims’ advocate program, considered essential because of current cumbersome procedures that hamper investigations of complaints alleging discrimination.
– Replacing CUNY’s badly flawed central portal program that students and staffers use to lodge complaints of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.
“What’s ridiculous is that the portal itself doesn’t acknowledge when you make a complaint and doesn’t follow up with what they did about it,” Lippman told The Post during an editorial board interview. “The portal is a failure.”
– Requiring more mandatory training of diversity officers who investigate discrimination complaints.
– Establishing a policy on free-speech rights that spells out where protests can and cannot take place to avoid disruptions and harassment of Jewish students.
“Don’t let [protesters] tie up the whole university,” said the report, adding that mask-wearing to shield demonstrators’ identities “raises serious security concerns.” “Encampments in general innately provide security risks on campus.”
Protesters were arrested at CUNY’s City College campus in April after setting up an “intifada encampment,” and vandals caused $3 million in damage to property.
– Using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as a guidepost when determining what constitutes Jew-hatred.
– Revising outdated rules and policies, including what conduct is permitted or forbidden involving social media.
Hochul limited the scope of the probe to CUNY, even though some of the state’s worst pro-terror, antisemitic incidents have occurred at private universities such as Columbia and Cornell.
The report did not catalogue many specific antisemitic incidents.
But Lippman cited the recent harassment of first-year Baruch College Jewish students by protesters at a nearby kosher restaurant as particularly egregious in his letter to Hochul.
“Not only did the protestors cruelly taunt the students about the murder of six hostages by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, but [they] also appear to have threatened the students with violence, and used antisemitic tropes in the process,” Lippman wrote.
“Of particular note, the protesters appear to have couched some of their deplorable attacks in antizionist rhetoric, which only confirms a point I make in my report — that antizionism can constitute antisemitism.”
“My top priority as Governor has always been to ensure the safety and security of every New Yorker, and right now, too many students at our colleges and universities do not feel safe. Let me be clear: we will not tolerate threats of antisemitism or hate of any kind. Every New Yorker must be free to live, learn and worship without fear of harassment or violence,” Hochul said.
The governor thanked Lippman for his work and said the recommendations should be embraced by all colleges and universities, not just CUNY.
“My expectation is that CUNY will enact these recommendations, and they have already taken initial steps to address the Judge’s findings. I encourage every college and university in New York State to review Judge Lippman’s recommendations as a guide to help ensure that their campus community is a welcoming and safe place for people of every faith and background,” Hochul said.
CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez said the university will implement many of the recommendations in the report.
“I appreciate the work of Judge Lippman and his team in preparing this review and recommendations and thank Governor Hochul for her unwavering commitment to higher education and collaboration in keeping our campuses safe,” Matos Rodríguez said in a statement.
“Amid a rising tide of antisemitism nationwide, CUNY has already taken critical steps to combat hate and discrimination. Recognizing there is more to do, we look forward to working on implementing Judge Lippman’s recommendations to redouble our efforts and build on our progress to create a more inclusive campus environment for students, faculty and staff.”
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, who serves on CUNY’s Advisory Council on Jewish Life, said, “No student, Jewish or otherwise, should be subjected to any form of intimidation.
“I am proud of our initiatives at CUNY, but there is room for improvement as we continue our partnership in making the university free of hate and discrimination,” he said.
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