Howard Charlop: Ideological Bias at UCI?

Ideological Bias at UCI?
by: Howard Charlop, December 21, 2006

On November 29th I attended the program “Middle East in 2007: Same Old Story or a New Beginning?” at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). It was co-sponsored by the Middle East Studies Student Initiative, The Department of History, and the Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies. Panelists included:

1.)Mark LeVine, Associate Professor, Modern Middle Eastern History, UCI

2.)Lina Haddad Kreidie, Lecturer, Department of Political Science, UCI

3.)Nasrin Rahimieh, Director of the Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies, UCI

Opening remarks were made by LeVine, who told the overflow crowd to “spread the knowledge and inform others.” Some of the views presented by the panelists during the panel discussion and the question-and-answer session which followed are shown below.

1) Kreidie suggested that Israel, not Syria, not Hezbollah, was responsible for the assassination of Pierre Gemayel. When asked if she had any evidence during the Q&A session which followed the Panel discussion, both she and LeVine said that their extensive experience in the Middle East gives them reason enough to conclude that Israel was probably responsible for the assassination.

2) Kreidie also suggested that Israel might have started a war with Lebanon because Lebanon poses a threat as another regional power in the Middle East and that the outcome of the war was the destruction of Lebanon, not Hezbollah.

3) Kreidie stated that Syria wants stability and the return of the Golan Heights.

4) Rahimieh said that President Bush caused a provocation by saying that Iran was not a democratic country. During the Q&A session which followed, LeVine stated that Iran was not a theocracy.

5) LeVine discussed whether the Israelis and Palestinians were wounded enough to consider becoming partners for peace. He said that Israel lost all credibility as a partner for peace when it continually violated the Oslo Peace Accords by creating more settlements, intensifying the occupation, and creating poverty. During the Q&A session I asked if Israel had demonstrated that it was a willing partner for peace in 2000 at Camp David by offering 100% of Gaza, 97% of the West Bank, East Jerusalem as a capital, contiguous land and a $30 billion redevelopment package. LeVine said that is what is commonly believed but not accurate. I then showed him a StandWithUs report which confirmed my understanding. He told me he had other information that gives a different story.

6) During the Q&A session one of the students asked why a more balanced panel wasn’t used for this important program. LeVine replied that the panel wasn’t biased and that the truth, based on the facts, was presented. He further characterized the program as not political and that empirical data was presented. In a subsequent email, LeVine wrote “you are certainly right that there are always two sides of a story and it’s impossible to decide definitively who’s right without evidence.” He also repeated a suggestion that we schedule a debate on these issues and let everyone decide for themselves. I told LeVine that we have different points of view and different sources of information. I hope we can find some common ground and teach others to do the same rather than proving the other side to be biased using our “unlimited sources of empirical data.”

On November 1st UCI hosted “Religious Diversity: An Interfaith Dialogue.” Dean of Students Sally Peterson, who served as moderator, and Vice Chancellor Manuel Gomez attended the program. The program was co-sponsored by Hillel and the Muslim Student Union. At the last minute however, the MSU withdrew their sponsorship.
The panelists were:

1. Rabbi Richard Steinberg, Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot, Irvine;

2. Reverend Gary Barmore, Fairview Community Church, Costa Mesa;

3. Sheik Sadullah Kahn, Executive Director of Religious Affairs, Islamic Center in Irvine, son in law of Imam Muzammil Siddiqi (Director of the Islamic Center of Orange County). Sheik Kahn arrived in Irvine from South Africa in 1998.

After some friendly discussion about religion by the participants, the audience was invited to ask questions. The first question came from a student who asked: Does Israel have a right to exist?

Rabbi Steinberg said he was a Zionist and then proceeded to explain the importance of Israel to the Jewish people.

Sheik Kahn said that all people have the right to Palestine, that he opposes Zionism, that Israel is a racist state and that the Palestinians are fighting for their freedom. He also said that Jews are not “the Chosen People;” we are all children of God. When he finished, a loud “Allah Akbar” was shouted three times from the back of the room by Muslim students.

Rabbi Steinberg responded by saying that words are very powerful. Looking at both Sally Peterson and Manual Gomez, he said that we must be sensitive about the way we speak. He said that a third of the Jews, 6 million people, were wiped out during WWII. He said that the University must do a better job of dealing with words. There was no response from the UCI administrators.

This was a “very educational” evening. One I will long remember.

Howard Charlop is the Orange County, Calif. chapter director of Stand With Us, "an educational organization that ensures that Israel's side of the sotry is told in communities, campuses, libraries, the media and chruches through brochures, speakers and conferences."

NewU UCLA Tasering Roundup

Link to news article

News
UC Irvine Community Reacts to UCLA Taser Incident
POLICE: Students comment on both sides of the issue concerning a UCLA student who was Tasered by UCPD.
By Stella Cho
Staff Writer

On Nov. 14 around 11:30 p.m. in the Powell Library at UC Los Angeles, fourth-year double major in philosophy and Middle Eastern and North African studies Mostafa Tabatabainejad was Tasered up to five times by UC police for failing to show his Bruin ID card to community service officers and refusing to leave a computer lab.

Tabatabainejad, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent, hired civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman on Nov. 17 and filed a lawsuit against the UC Police Department for “brutal excessive force” and false arrest.

According to a Nov. 22 article in The Los Angeles Times, Yagman said on Nov. 21 that he was no longer representing Tabatabainejad. The status of the lawsuit is uncertain.

Tabatabainejad did not comply when repeatedly asked to leave the premises by CSOs performing routine ID checks. Yagman explained that his client did not leave because he felt that he was being singled out through racial profiling. The library, open 24 hours, permits only students, faculty and staff members after 11 p.m. for security purposes. When Tabatabainejad remained in the library, CSOs left and returned with four UCPD officers, one of whom used a Taser on Tabatabainejad.

The incident was recorded as a six-minute video on a student’s cell phone and released on CBS News and YouTube.

In the grainy video, Tabatabainejad is shown being Tasered as he yells, “Here’s your PATRIOT Act! Here’s your fucking abuse of power!” Police repeatedly tell him to “stand up” or “get up.”

“I got Tased for no reason,” Tabatabainejad says after he is first Tasered. “I was leaving this God-forsaken place.

Students from across the nation were outraged by the video, spawning a Facebook group called “UCLA’s UCPD Brutality” which has more than 9,000 members including approximately 150 UC Irvine students.”

“I believe what the police did … constitutes torture, since they were inflicting massive amounts of pain on a non-violent subject to force his compliance rather than just walk out of the building with him,” said Daniel Byers, fourth-year double major in music and ethnomusicology. “While the student was not cooperating with the officers, nothing he did gave the officers reason to torture him. The officers should be discharged from the force and criminal charges should be placed against them.”

“Police are well-trained to deal with people who won’t remove themselves from buildings – such as protestors – and should not have to resort to using a Taser,” said Patrick Bruso, fourth-year double major in philosophy and political science. “A Taser should only be used when someone is threatening the police with bodily harm.”

Others feel that the police officers’ actions were justified. Some such students formed another Facebook group, “The UCLA Student That Got Tasered by UCPD Deserved It.” This group is much smaller, with about 200 members, 20 of whom are UCI students.

“For [Tabatabainejad] to say it wasn’t fair is considered ridiculous,” said fourth-year double major in mechanical and aerospace engineering Christine Lee. “You got caught breaking the rule, so leave.”

“In the video, he was resisting arrest and yelling out obscenities,” said third-year biomedical engineering major Chris Clawson. “Therefore, he deserved the shocks he received. He sure had enough strength to scream out the way he did; he could get up easily.”

According to UC Irvine Police Chief Paul Henisey, a Taser “specifically affects nervous system which controls the muscles, which ceases resistance. It is used for a short amount of time to incapacitate someone for about 10 seconds. Almost all physical capabilities come back, and in most cases they’re in control about 20 seconds later.”

UCLA is the only UC campus that allows the use of Tasers on people passively resisting arrest.

UC San Diego officers used a Taser to subdue a man who pulled a switchblade on a woman in a campus parking lot.

UC Davis police used a Taser on a man who, agitated by a recent break-up with his girlfriend, fired at officers with a semiautomatic weapon.

UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz police do not use Tasers at all, and while UC Barbara officers do not carry them, city police use Tasers to help out campus officers when they must subdue someone.

Henisey said that UCIPD “uses a Taser on a violent or potentially violent individual.”

According to The Daily Bruin, UCPD Assistant Chief of Police Jeff Young said that there was no way for the police to know if Tabatabainejad was a student or if he was armed.

“The advantage of a Taser gun is that there are no permanent injuries such as other alternatives like pepper spray [which] affects people for a longer period of time,” Henisey said. “Cardiac arrests [involved with Tasers] are due to the involvement of phencyclidine, cocaine and methamphetamines, which increase the heart rate.”

“The incident at UCLA seemed unfortunate, but I don’t have enough information to a make a judgment,” said Vice Chancellor Manuel Gomez, who watched the video online. “Anyone who has any concern regarding our campus police, the first person I would acknowledge is our Police Chief Paul Henisey [because] he takes complete responsibility in assuring that our police are professionals and providing security and safety. It’s a very unfortunate situation and I hope it’s resolved in a quick fashion.”

Link to editorial (click to also view the NewU's cartoon on the incident)

Opinion
UCLA Student Reveals Martyr Complex
Editorial
By Editorial Board

On Nov. 14 at UC Los Angeles’ Powell Library, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a fourth-year philosophy and Middle Eastern and North African studies major of Iranian descent, was stunned five times with a Taser by UC police for not displaying proper identification when asked for it.

Due in large part to video captured by another student on a cell phone camera, the incident has garnered both local and worldwide media attention via YouTube.

The general opinion among students seems to be that the Tasering was excessive—a view with which we agree. According to the Los Angeles Times, Terrence Duren, the officer who Tasered Tabatabainejad, has been involved with the university’s police department for 18 years. Duren was named officer of the year in 2001, but has been involved in other questionable incidents, including shooting a homeless man.

However, whether or not the police acted excessively, no small part of the blame lies with Tabatabainejad for needlessly escalating the situation to violence.

Unfortunately, no one thought to record Tabatabainejad’s initial confrontation with community service officers, so all we have is footage of Tabatabainejad being stunned, dragged and yelling a few arbitrary accusations. It’s nearly impossible to judge the appropriateness of this response without seeing what came before.

That Tabatabainejad refused to show his identification when asked for it – a routine request of late-night library patrons – has not been disputed. After community service officers left the defiant Tabatabainejad to summon the UC Police Department, Tabatabainejad reportedly began to head toward the library’s exit, though it is unclear whether Tabatabainejad began to exit the building of his own accord after speaking with the CSOs or whether he only began to flee after seeing UCPD officers.

Tabatabainejad was grabbed by the arm by police, after which he began shouting, “Don’t touch me!” Police also report that he “went limp and refused to exit as the officers attempted to escort him out” and that he “encouraged library patrons to join his resistance.” While being Tasered, Tabatabainejad yelled, “Here’s your PATRIOT Act! Here’s your fucking abuse of power!” He also reportedly asked other students, “Am I the only martyr?”

Of course, Tabatabainejad’s passivity didn’t last very long after the actual incident—he almost immediately decided to sue police, perhaps ushering in a trend of students unwisely mouthing off to police in hopes of financial gain.

Stephen Yagman, Tabatabainejad’s attorney, claims that his client was being racially profiled when he was asked for his identification—which is why he failed to procure it. Tabatabainejad evidently suffers from some sort of martyr complex; he went into the situation looking to create a scene—which is exactly what he got.

The UCPD’s policy on Tasering allows for use of the “Drive Stun” capacity of the Taser as “pain compliance against passive resistors.” Other UC schools, including UC Irvine, only allow use of such a weapon against suspects who pose a threat to police. Whether or not this policy is just, it is clear that UCPD officers acted within their rights against Tabatabainejad as a passive resistor.

Tabatabainejad needs to choose his battles more carefully. Though Iranians may be victims of racial profiling, Tabatabainejad seems to be of the mindset that any bad thing that happens to him is a result of racial prejudice. Why else would something as innocuous as a request to see a library card be considered as such?

Taking a stand against the police is admirable in certain circumstances, but it has consequences. Tabatabainejad defied police for a stupid reason and he dealt with the consequences.

Link to commentary by Anam Siddiq

Opinion
Much Still Unknown About UCLA Tasering
Commentary
By Anam Siddiq

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you’ve heard about the UC Los Angeles student Mostafa Tabatabainejad, who was shot with a Taser by UCLA police on Nov. 14. Chances are that you have also seen the famous video of the incident taken with a student’s camera phone.

You may have even gone one step further and left a comment about the video stating your opinion. If you did, you joined the hundreds of students participating in fierce debates online, mainly through popular Web sites such as YouTube and Facebook. The former site, for the most part, contained viewpoints directly related to the video’s content, while the latter included several groups dedicated to arguing the issue of the police’s actions in general.

Though reading through all the comments on either of these Web sites is next to impossible, I was able to read enough to determine what these students were most concerned about.

Upon viewing the video for the first time, I would assume that anybody would be at least slightly alarmed by the effect of the Taser on the man. My first reaction was questioning why this handcuffed, defenseless and apparently non-violent student was being treated so harshly.

Several other students seemed to have the same question. Many wondered why four policemen could not simply drag out “skinny” Tabatabainejad, instead of resorting to such “brutal measures.”

Even a police officer stated on a Web site that the UCLA police officers’ actions were completely uncalled for, and physical contact or force should not have been used if the student was passively resisting.

Other students argued the effects of the multiple shocks delivered and whether or not Tabatabainejad would have been able to physically comply with the officers’ consistent demands to stand. Some even went so far as to list the precise number of seconds between each shock and compare it to the amount of time it takes for one to recover after being Tasered.

No one but Tabatabainejad knows whether or not he could have easily obeyed the officers’ orders after being shocked, but I agree the officers should not have used the Taser on him that many times, or at all for that matter.

Not only did these policemen use the Taser on Tabatabainejad, but according to several witnesses, they threatened to use it on students in the crowd who requested the officers’ badge numbers. Even if what was done to Tabatabainejad was acceptable because of his resistance, there is no law that gives the police the right to threaten innocent bystanders, especially since they were simply requesting information.

Some have said that the questioning was preventing the officers from enforcing the law against Tabatabainejad. However, one student said that he had asked for the number after Tabatabainejad had been taken away, and was still threatened.

The UC Police Department’s response to the incident primarily said that Tabatabainejad was encouraging other students to join in his resistance, although many argue that that wasn’t true, according to what they saw in the video. In order to avoid a larger crowd, the statement says it was necessary to get Tabatabainejad out of the building. However, using a Taser, which is bound to elicit painful screams, is not the most subtle way of removing a person from the area.

According to Tabatabainejad’s lawyer in a video interview on YouTube, Tabatabainejad believed himself to be a victim of racial profiling, which is why he resisted when the officers grabbed his arm. The Iranian student felt he was being singled out because of his Middle Eastern appearance. From what I have read, most people seem uncomfortable playing the race card, and prefer to focus more on what was done to this particular student rather than why.

Tabatabainejad’s actions and words were a little extreme, and may have aggravated the situation; he could have made his opinions clear in another way. However, race should not be completely set aside as a possible factor because, believe it or not, racism and prejudice still exist, a fact most recently displayed by Michael Richards’ infamous racial outburst.

Of course, there are several different issues and viewpoints that exist, half of which could never be completely settled by simply viewing the video, which we can all agree is not the most professional bit of camerawork and does not cover the entire incident.

However, several visitors to the sites which debate these topics seem certain that their opinions are ultimately correct. Some have even gone so far to show their support for the victim that they have created T-shirts with Tabatabainejad’s now well-known declaration: “Here’s your PATRIOT Act! Here’s your fucking abuse of power!” And although I may not agree with the police’s actions, I don’t think I will be buying one of these shirts, either.

Anam Siddiq is a first-year literary journalism major.

Link to Reut Cohen's op-ed piece

Opinion
UCLAPD Acted Harshly
By Reut R. Cohen

Police officers repeatedly shocked a UCLA student with a Taser after he purportedly refused to leave a campus library computer lab. The student, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, 23, was using the Powell Library computer lab at 11:30 p.m. and refused to show identification to a campus security officer.

UCLA policy, for public safety reasons, requires that students using library amenities show a valid student ID after 11 p.m. Eyewitnesses and a video shot from a camera phone confirm that Tabatabainejad and the police struggled for a few minutes, but that the student was Tasered multiple times after he had declared that he would leave the library.

Tabatabainejad apparently did not provide campus police with a student ID and did not leave the library after a campus police officer asked. The officer left and returned with more campus police who then proceeded to ask the student to leave “multiple times,” according to a statement by the UC Police Department.

“He continued to refuse,” said an official with the UCPD. “As the officers attempted to escort him out, he went limp and continued to refuse to cooperate with officers or leave the building.”

“Tabatabainejad encouraged library patrons to join his resistance,” police said. “The officers deemed it necessary to use the Taser.”

The Taser was set in “drive stun” mode, which immobilizes the local area of the body where it hits, not the entire body.

Some witnesses said that Tabatabainejad had begun to walk toward the door with his backpack when extra campus police arrived. When an officer approached him and grabbed his arm, according to witnesses, Tabatabainejad told the officer to let go, yelling “Get off me!” several times.

A lot has been said about whether or not the police acted appropriately in this case. While I do not want to judge these things precipitately, I believe that much is working against UCPD in this case, and for good reason.

In the video, for example, police officers repeatedly order Tabatabainejad to stand up. It is also clear that every time the student is ready to get up and shouts that he will leave, the officer Tasers him again.

Tabatabainejad, unfortunately, was not helping his case by shouting things like, “Am I the only martyr?” and condemning the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act while cursing at officers. Some of the eyewitnesses, moreover, acted a bit foolishly by trying to come between the student and police.

Following the incident, it was confirmed that Terrence Duren, the UCLA police officer who Tasered the student, had also shot a homeless man at a campus study hall room three years ago and was connected with an alleged assault on Fraternity Row. The officer has served with the UCPD for 18 years.

It is safe to say that UCLA police demonstrated tremendous incompetence when dealing with the Iranian student. Tasering a student and then threatening to Taser more students who scream “leave him alone” seems a bit much. Duren should have been released from duty long ago.

Despite the police department’s ineptitude in dealing with the student, Tabatabainejad should not have cursed at the police and should have simply left the library when he could not provide valid ID.

Asking for ID has little to do with race. This is a normal procedure at UCLA because – newsflash – Westwood is not the safest of neighborhoods. I’ve used the library facilities at UCLA and have lost track of time. When asked for ID after 11:00 p.m., I have apologized and left. I wouldn’t want to cause any controversy and be Tasered by police.

Some of the reactions of students at UCLA and other universities, moreover, have been extremely unwarranted, rash and illogical. Some students have been reporting to news agencies and Web sites that eyewitnesses not only tried to help the student, but wanted to overpower the police. I hate to break it to you, but using brute force with a police office just might result in warranted Tasering and arrests.

Reut R. Cohen is a third-year English major. She can be reached at rrcohen@uci.edu.

Office Hours with Vice Chancellor Gomez

Per Anteater Weekly - Week 9:

Vice Chancellor Manuel N. Gomez is holding Office Hours with students: November 22, 1:30 to 3 p.m., 405 Administration. You are invited to visit the Vice Chancellor to share an idea, to say hello, or to discuss a concern.

Vice Chancellor Gomez: "one person’s hate speech is another person’s education."

Hat Tip: LGF and MereRhetoric

Reut R. Cohen published an article on October 24th in Jewish Collegiate News titled "Jewish Students Discuss Vandalism With Chancellor". That article is a summary of an October 18th meeting between some of the Jewish students on campus and Chancellor Drake and Vice Chancellor Gomez regarding some recent vandalism on campus involving a swastika and vulgarities.

“I hate that things like this happen,” Drake responded, acknowledging that there has been speech on campus promoted by the Muslim Student Union (MSU) that is largely hateful. Drake called hate-speech “vile,” “awful,” and “stupid,” and said it is “weak” human beings who engage in such speech. The chancellor also asserted that hateful speech does absolutely nothing to promote understanding and tolerance.
Many Jewish students at the meeting blamed the Muslim Student Union for creating an environment in which hate speech can prosper, which they felt had a direct connection to the vandalism.

Some of the Jewish students at the meeting revealed that they and others had been subject to verbal and physical intimidation at the hands of MSU members, and that they had previously reported these claims to campus security. In light of this, some students asked that Drake place restrictions on where MSU events are held, saying that if their events were held in classrooms as opposed to public spaces, their effect would not be as broad. However, Chancellor Drake told Jewish students at the meeting that he cannot restrict any club, that it would be “violation of law to prohibit certain speech.”

Gomez emphasized that though hate speech may be present, he would not seek to curtail it, as “one person’s hate speech is another person’s education.”

Looks like the Vice Chancellor wants "equal time for Hitler".

NewU: Manuel N. Gomez: Reward for Vandalism Info

Hmmm...spray painted vulgarities and a swastika...

The Vice Chancellor doesn't specify the vulgarities - I'm wondering what the exact message was...

UPDATE

My sources tell me the message was "F*** VDC [Swastika] F*** VDC" - VDC being Vista Del Campo, one of the residential areas on campus.

Link to article

Opinion
Reward for Vandalism Info
Information Wanted About VDC Vandalism
By Manuel N. Gómez

Recently there was an act of vandalism at Vista del Campo. Late in the evening and early morning of Oct. 7 and 8, a community advisor called the UC Irvine Police to the VDC on-campus housing complex.

The police report identified the defacing of areas with spray painted vulgarities, “VDC” and a swastika symbol.

We are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the identification and prosecution of those responsible.

We are addressing this vandalism as a top priority and are pursuing a police investigation. Please contact the UCI Police Department if you have any pertinent information.

The initial review of the police report leads one to believe that on the face of it, a person(s) is/are unhappy with Vista del Campo. The juxtaposition of the vulgar language and swastika symbol leads us to this impression.

Nevertheless, the use of this symbol is disturbing, especially so when it appears where we live.

We are well aware that even though this seems to be directed at the Vista del Campo, it still affects our students and campus community.

I am truly disappointed, as this does not represent our community. This vandalism is wholly unacceptable and appropriate actions will be taken.

If you are in touch with or know of any students who are affected by this incident, please refer them to the Dean of Students so that we may direct them to the appropriate resources on campus.

Manuel N. Gómez
Vice Chancellor Student Affairs

NewU: UCI Responds to Anti-Semitism Claims

They haven't put an online version of the article up yet, but FINALLY the New University newspaper covered the US Commission on Civil Rights's hearings in November 2005 and their findings and recommendations - issued in April 2006 - regarding the pervasive hostile environment to Jews at UCI (on the top of the front page, no less). I discussed the USCCR previously at this link and at this link.

Unless I missed it, though, the NewU staff didn't do all of their homework - the only people they appear to have interviewed for the article were Vice Chancellor Gomez and Diane Filed Geocaris, legal council for UCI. Why didn't they interview Susan Tuchman, the Director of the Zionist Organization of America's Center for Law and Justice - and the person who filed the civil rights complaint in the first place?

Link to article

News
UCI Responds to Anti-Semitism Claims
Religion: Governmental fact-finding commission heard testimony from Jewish groups alleging campus anti-Semitism.
By Ben Ritter
Staff Writer

In July, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a report on campus anti-Semitism at several universities, including allegations that UC Irvine has been home to various anti-Semitic incidents that were not dealt with appropriately by campus officials.

USCCR is a “fact-finding” group that “lacks enforcement powers,” according to their Web site.

The report was based on the testimony of representatives of three Jewish groups, including Susan B. Tuchman, the director for the Center for Law and Justice at the Zionist Organization of America, whose report to the commission focused almost exclusively on UCI.

“Since at least 2002, if not earlier, Jewish students have faced a pattern of anti-Semitism on the UCI campus that, in 2003 and 2004, escalated into destruction of property, physical threats and violence,” Tuchman said in her statement to the commission.

After unilaterally terminating earlier attempts at mediation with the school, Tuchman is currently representing an unknown number of Jewish UCI students in a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights “contending that [UCI] had long been aware of a hostile and intimidating environment for Jewish students, but that [it] had not taken adequate steps to address the problems.”

UCI is not able to comment on the OCR investigation, which is ongoing, but Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Manuel Gomez responded to the allegations made in the USCCR report.

“[The report] does not correctly characterize UCI or our students,” Gomez said. “We are a close, safe and inclusive campus. The typical UCI student is respectfully tolerant, intellectually curious and personally compassionate.”

Gomez also pointed to “numerous programs, speakers and events that model civil and respectful dialogue” that the school has hosted as well as the development of “three new courses designed to educate students about contemporary issues regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and promoting religious tolerance and peace building.”

Among the incidents of anti-Semitism alleged in Tuchman’s report are the 2002 publication of an article in a UCI student publication that “repeatedly emphasized the Nazi-like notion that Jews are genetically different and separate from non-Jews,” the 2003 destruction of a Holocaust memorial, the carving of a swastika into a table during a Holocaust candlelight vigil and “repeated” invitations for anti-Semitic speakers to speak at UCI.

Diane Fields Geocaris, legal counsel for UCI, responded to Tuchman’s allegations in a letter to the commission, saying that UCI “appropriately treated vandalism.” Geocaris also said that UCI officials were the ones who reported the Holocaust memorial disturbance to the police and that in the swastika-carving incident, “the university investigated ... but was unable to find any witnesses or suspects.”

As for allegations of inviting anti-Semites to speak, Gomez said, “Some individuals want us to place limits on freedom of expression. The university is legally obligated to protect speech on a content neutral basis. Inevitably the university must allow some speech that some may find offensive.

“UCI does not sponsor events encouraging intolerance. Indeed, while student and other groups may use our campus to espouse ideas that at times may be offensive, when they do so they are exercising their right to free speech.”

Tuchman also cited a January 2004 incident in which a Jewish student reported a rock being thrown at him by a member of the Muslim Student Union. According to Geocaris, “the aggrieved student did not report the incident until ... several weeks after it took place” and “could not identify the names of Muslim Student Union members at the table [from which the rock was thrown].”

Another Jewish student, according to Tuchman, overheard two students saying “slaughter the Jews” in Arabic in February 2004, and the following month was “subjected to threatening language and hurtful ethnic slurs, including being called a ‘dirty Jew.’” This student left UCI to study elsewhere, according to Tuchman, because he “felt [UCI] was a hostile environment for Jewish students.”

According to Geocaris, campus police contacted a student who UCI officials believe is the same one refered to by Tuchman, but he “failed to respond to these inquiries and did not show up for an appointment with the campus police.”

Additionally, the university does not have a record of this student requesting for his transcript to be forwarded, according to Geocaris, “suggesting that Ms. Tuchman’s testimony concerning his transfer might be inaccurate.”

Gomez responded to allegations of violent acts on campus in general.

“Physical threats and violence are not tolerated at UCI,” Gomez said. “If and when a threat is brought to our attention, we investigate and respond to it appropriately and as fully as possible.”

The complete USCCR report can be viewed online at http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/081506campusantibrief.pdf

To see what steps UCI is taking to encourage respectful dialogue, visit http://www.vcsa.uci.edu/FreeSpeech/WhatWeAreDoing/index.php

Vice Chancellor Gomez appointed to University Diversity Study Group

A friend reminded me that Vice Chancellor Gomez doesn't believe that UCI is required to protect Jewish students from harassment and intimidation under Title VI. Isn't it ironic then that he's now on a study group on university diversity?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006
Ricardo Vázquez (510) 287-3301
ricardo.vazquez@ucop.edu

MEDIA ADVISORY: MEMBERS OF UC'S STUDY GROUP ON UNIVERSITY DIVERSITY APPOINTED

University of California Board of Regents Chairman Gerald L. Parsky and UC Provost and Executive Vice President Rory Hume will co-chair UC's Study Group on University Diversity and have appointed 18 members to the study group.

The members are:

• Regents Joanne C. Kozberg (study group vice chair), Eddie Island, Maria C. Ledesma, John J. Moores and Frederick Ruiz
  
  
• Regent-designate Eleanor V. Brewer
  
  
• Faculty Representatives John B. Oakley and Michael T. Brown
  
  
• Chancellors Robert J. Birgeneau (UC Berkeley), France A. Córdova (UC Riverside) and Henry T.Yang (UC Santa Barbara), and Acting Chancellor George Blumenthal (UC Santa Cruz)
  
  
• Executive Vice President for University Affairs Bruce B. Darling
  
  
• Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Manuel N. Gomez (UC Irvine)
  
  
• Former Faculty Representative Lawrence Pitts
  
  
• Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Judy Sakaki (UC Davis)
  
  
• UC Student Association President Bill Shiebler
  
  
• Former regent and past-president of the UCLA Alumni Association Peter Taylor
  

The appointment of the study group comes after the Board of Regents agreed at their July 19 meeting to sponsor a study of the current status of the University of California's efforts to continue to increase diversity and foster a climate of inclusiveness.

The Study Group on University Diversity has been charged with the following objectives:

• Review and report on recent trends with respect to diversity within UC's undergraduate, graduate and faculty populations;
  
  
• Survey campus climate on diversity and inclusion;
  
  
• Study the interactions among undergraduate, graduate and faculty diversity and campus climate;
  
  
• Identify "best practices" in student preparation, recruitment, and admissions; faculty hiring and retention; and efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive campus climate; and
  
  
• Recommend actions that the university and its individual campuses can take, respecting federal and state laws, to increase diversity and inclusiveness at UC.
  

The study group objectives and scope will be discussed in greater detail at the regents' upcoming meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

For more information about diversity at UC: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/diversity