CUNY Removes Palestinian Studies Job Listing on Hochul’s Orders
Controversy Over Job Description
When Nancy Cantor became president of Hunter College in the fall, she asked faculty, students and staff members what they wanted from the school. One answer was more attention to Palestinian studies. Faculty members began working on possible approaches. They came up with a plan for two tenure-track faculty positions that would cross several departments and began drafting job descriptions.
The Hunter College job listing for Palestinian studies called for scholars who could “take a critical lens” to issues including “settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid” and other topics.
Jewish Groups Protest
When the listing was posted, Jewish groups protested the inclusion of words that they said are antisemitic when applied to Israel. Their objections were first reported in the New York Post.
Hochul Demands Removal of Listing
Soon after, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul demanded that the college, a part of the City University of New York, take down the listing.
“Governor Hochul directed CUNY to immediately remove this posting and conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom,” a spokesperson said in a statement, adding: “Hateful rhetoric of any kind has no place at CUNY or anywhere in New York state.”
University’s Response
The college, as part of the CUNY system, depends on state funding. The university’s chancellor and board chair immediately approved Hochul’s directive to remove the listing.
“We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting, which we have ensured Hunter College has since done,” Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and William C. Thompson Jr., chair of the board of trustees, said in a statement.
Academic Freedom and Censorship
For faculty members working in New York City, where hot-button topics that incite battles elsewhere spark little opposition or government scrutiny, the governor’s swift action came as a shock.
“This is an act of censorship and a break from the norms of respecting academic freedom,” said Heba Gowayed, an associate professor of sociology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. “There’s always a lot of censorship and pushback when people talk about Palestine, but no one expected a Democratic governor of New York to get involved in such an egregious way in something that should be decided by the experts in the field.”
Reactions from Faculty Members
Jeffrey Lax, a CUNY professor and founder of the group Students, Alumni and Faculty for Equality on Campus, objected to such censorship claims, saying the listing promoted dangerous falsehoods.
“It accuses Israel, falsely, of being a settler colonial state, of being an apartheid state and of committing genocide,” he said. “These are, to me, the most horrific modern antisemitic false tropes against Jewish people.”
Conclusion
The controversy surrounding the removal of the Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College highlights the ongoing debates around academic freedom, censorship, and the role of government in shaping higher education. While some see the governor’s action as a necessary step to combat antisemitism, others view it as an attack on academic freedom and a threat to the integrity of the university system.
FAQs
* What was the job listing for at Hunter College?
The job listing for Palestinian studies called for scholars who could “take a critical lens” to issues including “settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid” and other topics.
* Why did Jewish groups protest the listing?
Jewish groups protested the inclusion of words that they said are antisemitic when applied to Israel.
* What did Governor Hochul demand?
Governor Hochul demanded that the college, a part of the City University of New York, take down the listing and conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom.
* What was the response of the university’s chancellor and board chair?
The university’s chancellor and board chair approved Hochul’s directive to remove the listing and ensured that Hunter College had since done so.
* How did faculty members react to the governor’s action?
Some faculty members saw the action as an act of censorship and a break from the norms of respecting academic freedom, while others saw it as a necessary step to combat antisemitism.
