A boycott of Israeli universities and professors proposed by Britain's University and College Union in May has since been "virtually a daily issue" for President Ruth Simmons, who recently wrote a letter to the UCU condemning the boycott. Simmons told The Herald that she is assessing other opportunities to make her views known and promote dialogue on campus.
The UCU, an academic professional association in the United Kingdom, will hold a series of debates on a motion passed May 30 that calls for a boycott of Israeli academia in response to Israel's occupation of Palestinian land in the Middle East. The resolution deplores "the denial of educational rights for Palestinians" and says Israel has "seriously damaged the fabric of Palestinian society." It goes on to condemn the "complicity of Israeli academia in the occupation" and calls on members of the UCU to consider the moral implications of connections with Israeli universities.
The proposal yielded a strong response from presidents of American universities. In early August, presidents of 286 universities, including Cornell and Princeton universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, signed a full-page advertisement in the New York Times declaring, "Boycott Israeli Universities? Boycott Ours Too!" The ad featured a statement by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, who called the boycott "utterly antithetical to the fundamental values of the academy."
Simmons did not sign the petition, choosing instead to write a personal letter to UCU Joint Secretary General Sally Hunt condemning the boycott. In her letter, posted on her Web site, Simmons expressed her support for Israeli universities and wrote that supporting such a boycott "is not an option for people who are dedicated to the core principles of the academy."
Simmons told The Herald she would never sign an advertisement as the president of Brown without first consulting with others. Even though there was "immediate and intense dialogue" over the summer about what action to take, she said, she ultimately decided to do something distinctive that would have a larger impact.
"I'm weary of one-shot efforts for profound issues," Simmons said. "It's tempting to sign things like this and walk away."
Simmons added that she thought the advertisement did not express fully why the boycott was inappropriate, and she stressed the need for a "salient and more prolonged" argument. Many in academia will be tempted to view this issue as a political one, Simmons said, adding that political discourse "belongs in the political world."
"Fundamentally, this is something that is an attack on what universities are and what universities do," Simmons said. "You have to explain to people why this is so inimical to what freedom of speech and scholarship is all about."
It is a "dangerous step," Simmons added, to single out students and scholars from any one group and say the world "should rise up against them."
A statement Tuesday to The Herald from the UCU stressed that the motion calls for a series of debates around a boycott, rather than an immediate boycott of Israeli institutions.
"Unfortunately the nature of the motion has been misrepresented, especially in media reports in America," the statement read. "It is important everyone understands there is not a boycott."
Hunt, the joint secretary general of the UCU, sent a letter July 4 to union members detailing the next steps in planning for debates around the boycott, which she wrote would be "respectful and inclusive." Hunt also expressed disappointment that the boycott has overshadowed other important efforts, including one to link Palestinian and Israeli trade unionists and academics.
"I do understand the strongly held views on both sides," Hunt wrote in the letter, "but I do not believe that the majority of members - whatever their personal views - see this issue as the major priority for our union."
Despite this, responding to the proposed boycott has been a priority for American universities, and several university presidents took actions similar to Simmons'. Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust also declined to sign the advertisement in the Times, which the Harvard Crimson reported was consistent with a Harvard tradition to not sign petitions. Like Simmons, however, she wrote an individual letter to the UCU.
"While I am most comfortable expressing my views on such matters directly in my own words as opposed to signing group statements or petitions, I obviously join many colleagues throughout the international academic community in denouncing unequivocally an action that would serve no purpose and would fundamentally violate the academic freedoms we must defend at all costs," Faust said in an Aug. 13 statement.
Brown has deep ties with Israeli universities. The University has six existing exchange agreements with Israeli universities, trailing only France, with which the University has eight programs. The only other countries with more than two exchange agreements are Italy and India. A 2004 gift from the late liquor magnate Sidney Frank '42 - the largest donor in Brown history - funds a scholarship program that brings Israeli students interested in pursuing the University's Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship Program to Brown. Simmons also said she is working with Provost David Kertzer '69 P'95 P'98 to create more programs that would bring scholars from Israel to Brown.
Israeli universities are "natural partners" for elite American universities because they are among the best in the world, Simmons said. The Middle East is also an area of focus for Brown because of its importance in world affairs, she said.
"I don't know how you could not want to be informed about that region of the world," Simmons said. "And how do we do that if we don't have students and scholars with different perspectives on the Middle East? You need people to go there and see it first hand in addition to those who study it."
In addition to the letter she wrote to Hunt, Simmons said she hopes to engage students and faculty in the issue.
"I wanted this to happen after students got back so that we could ask 'what can students learn from this?' " Simmons said.
Simmons said she would like to organize some kind of public program for those who have little knowledge about the proposed boycott. Whatever it is, the program will be "very public" and will help to communicate the position of the University, she said.
While not everyone on campus is aware of the proposed boycott, many students and professors have strong opinions on the issue.
Dara Bayer '08, a member of Anti-Racist Action, said she supports the boycott, which she called a "grassroots effort to make a political statement."
"For the union to take a stand on this is admirable," Bayer said. "These are the kinds of statements that put pressure on the government to change policy."
Bayer said she had not read Simmons' letter to the UCU, but said she disagrees with the argument that political issues do not have a place in academia.
"You can't separate politics from the academy," Bayer said. "Academic institutions do have political interests, and we can't ignore that. Look at history - during the Vietnam War, institutions were the centerpiece of the antiwar movement."
Other students and professors share Simmons' view.
Professor of Judaic Studies David Jacobson wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that he is "very proud" of the letter Simmons wrote to the UCU, adding that he "strongly opposes" the proposed boycott.
"Academia is based on free exchange of ideas," he wrote, "and any boycott of academics by other academics seriously undermines this fundamental principle."
Josh Stern '08, who last year co-founded a Middle East discussion group called Open House, also opposes the boycott.
"If you want to boycott some Israeli company that makes cluster bombs, that's one thing," he said. "But this is not consistent with academic freedom."
Stern said he thinks the majority of Brown students are "not so left-wing" that they would support a boycott of Israeli universities. Regardless, he said, the only way to solve the larger conflict is through dialogue.
"That's what needs to be emphasized - and not just talking, listening," he said. "An intellectual boycott doesn't seem to be in line with that."
