CUNY needs to overhaul itself from top to bottom to combat “alarming” anti-Semitism stoked by university faculty and do-nothing upper management, according to a damning investigation by an independent investigative committee commissioned by Gov. Kathy Hockle.
“I am compelled to note the alarming recent occurrence of unacceptable anti-Semitic incidents targeting members of the CUNY community,” widely respected former state Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Lippman wrote in a letter to Hoffle that accompanied the scathing findings released Tuesday after a 10-month investigation.
“So many people don't feel safe on campus, and that's the crux of the issue.”
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A comprehensive 146-page analysis finds that presidents and faculty at some City University of New York campuses are part of the problem by encouraging or failing to police hatred of Jews in the vast public university system.
The scathing report, prepared pro bono for the state by Lippman and his colleagues at the law firm Latham & Watkin, accuses the professors — without naming them — of stoking the flames of division and hatred rather than easing tensions and encouraging peaceful dialogue.
“Some faculty members are going to cause trouble,” Lippman told the Post.
He said professors have a right to free speech, but stressed the report could do more to foster dialogue “rather than stoking conflict, as is often the case.”
CUNY is made up of 25 educational institutions, including 11 advanced universities, seven community colleges, a graduate center, a law school, and other programs.
Public university presidents have also come under fire for being too concerned about their campuses' reputations and for providing weak leadership in combating hate.
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Governor Kathy Hawkle
The report said some CUNY presidents were “hesitant” to hire uniformed police to deal with violent protests and protect students because they “believed it would lead to negative publicity.”
“That is unacceptable,” Lippman said in the report.
The study calls for closer collaboration between CUNY schools, law enforcement and the school's security guards to enhance public safety.
The report makes 13 recommendations, many of which should be implemented or acted upon immediately.
among them:
— Create a center that will focus solely on anti-Semitism and discrimination and be used as a resource on all campuses.
— Hire anti-Semitism and hate monitors to ensure discrimination is dealt with appropriately.
— It is considered essential to launch a victim assistance programme due to the current cumbersome procedures which hinder the investigation of complaints alleging discrimination.
— Update CUNY's deeply flawed central portal program used by students and staff to file complaints about anti-Semitism and other discrimination.
“What's odd is that the portals themselves have not acknowledged the complaints and have not followed up on what they've done about them,” Lippman told The Post in an interview with its editorial board. “The portals have failed.”
— Require further mandatory training for diversity officers who investigate discrimination complaints.
— Establish a free speech policy that specifies where protests can and cannot take place to avoid disruption and harassment of Jewish students.
” [protesters] “The wearing of masks to conceal protesters' identities raises serious safety concerns,” the report said, adding that “encampments generally pose inherent safety risks on campus.”
James Kavom
In April, protesters who set up an “intifada encampment” on the City College of New York campus were arrested and vandalism caused $3 million in property damage.
— Use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism as a guide in determining what constitutes hatred of Jewish people.
— Revise outdated rules and policies, including what activities are permitted or prohibited in relation to social media.
Hoekl limited his investigation to CUNY, even though some of the state's worst terrorist-supporting and anti-Semitic incidents have occurred at private universities such as Columbia and Cornell.
The report did not list many specific anti-Semitic incidents.
But in his letter to Haukl, Lippman cited a recent incident in which protesters harassed a Jewish freshman from Baruch College at a nearby kosher restaurant as particularly egregious.
“Not only did the protesters brutally taunt the students about the killing of six hostages by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, [they] He also appeared to threaten students with violence and used anti-Semitic tropes in the process,” Lippman wrote.
“What is particularly noteworthy is that protesters appear to be couching some of the deplorable attacks in anti-Zionist rhetoric, which only reinforces the point I made in my report that anti-Zionism can constitute anti-Semitism.”
CUNY President Felix Matos Rodriguez said the university will implement many of the report's recommendations.
“I thank Judge Lippman and his team for preparing this investigation and recommendations, and I thank Governor Hokull for his unwavering commitment to higher education and his cooperation in keeping our campuses safe,” CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez said in a statement.
“At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the country, CUNY has already taken important steps to combat hate and discrimination. While we know there is more work to be done, we look forward to implementing Judge Lippman's recommendations, redouble our efforts, and build on the progress we are making to create a more inclusive campus environment for our students, faculty and staff.”
“No student, Jewish or not, should ever be subjected to any form of intimidation,” said Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, a vice president of the New York Rabbi's Association and a member of the City University of New York's Advisory Committee on Jewish Life.
“I am proud of the work we have done at CUNY, but there is room for improvement as we continue our collaborative efforts to make the university free of hate and discrimination,” he said.
