Student Senate at ‘The New School’ Votes to Strip Funding From Campus Hillel Chapter
“The vote centered on Hillel’s connections to Israel-related programming”
The amazing thing about this is that these students believe they’re the good guys.
Campus Reform reports:
Student senate at NYC university votes to strip funding and recognition from Hillel
The student senate at The New School voted to strip funding and recognition from the university’s Hillel chapter, accusing the Jewish student organization of ties to alleged violations of international law.
The New York City university later rejected the vote, stating that the student senate does not have authority over the recognition, funding eligibility, or official status of registered student organizations.
The University Student Senate voted Friday to designate Hillel as “not in good standing,” making the group ineligible for funding or collaboration with the senate.
The vote centered on Hillel’s connections to Israel-related programming, including student trips to Israel and volunteer opportunities connected to the Israel Defense Forces.
A 38-page report from the senate’s registered student organization compliance committee claimed that continuing to fund Hillel would make student fees complicit in violations of international law.
“To continue to fund Hillel at The New School would mean that your student fees would be used to support violations of international law,” the senate statement said. The report also cited Hillel’s promotion of Birthright Israel trips and other Israel-related programs.
The New School administration rejected the senate’s action, stating that Hillel remains in good standing and eligible for funding.
“The New School’s University Student Senate does not have the authority to determine the recognition, funding eligibility, or official status of registered student organizations,” a university spokesperson said, according to The Times of Israel.
“Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School,” the spokesperson added.
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Comments
I read the headline and thought we were talking about one of the new conservative universities in Texas or Florida. Instead, we are talking about a school that is over 100 years old.
You’re “new” for 20 years, at most. After that, change your name.
New York/Jersey/Hampshire/England? The New World? New Age? New wave? “New math”? The New Testament? The New Deal?
the message is clear
fight or flight
Hillel is an international Jewish organization that’s been around since the 1920’s. It often the only place on a college campus to get Kosher food, celebrate Jewish holidays and meet other Jews. They often hold religious services and have religious counseling. Also many of them provides halal meals to Muslims, like my chapter did at URI. On top of that alot of interfaith meeting with the newman club and other religious college groups. Attacking Hillel is literally attacking Jewish life on campus. It’s basically saying we don’t want Jews at our college.
Being Jewish is a violation of “international law” as these ignoramuses imagine it to be.
Sue’m. Make them pay for defying the 14th amendment.
Sue the students?! For what? For expressing an opinion?! That won’t fly. The first amendment protects this resolution, just as it protects a KKK rally.
Yes, the First Amendment does protect speech such as this, but this school is not a governmental entity and so is not directly covered by the First Amendment. Under Title VI (and likely state laws), the school cannot treat Jews worse than any other group, and therefore the school should be required to apply the same discipline to these students as it would undoubtedly apply to any student group that demanded that funding be denied to the Black Student Union or to an LGBTQ group.
The first problem is that there is a “student senate”. University recognition of such a gathering as a formal body simply provides a platform for malcontents to play at being adults. Since most undergraduates do not take such elections seriously, students with an axe to grind can easily take these “student government” organizations over. They are not representative of student opinion, shoulder no real responsibility, are accountable to no one, and ought to be abolished.
Well said!
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