In response to a written inquiry by the Jewish Voice on what measures CUNY is taking to stem the tide of anti-Semitism on their campuses, Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez submitted this response

Dear Publisher BenHooren,

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to me about these important concerns. It is certainly a deeply alarming fact that the scourge of anti-Semitism is on the rise globally, including on college campuses like CUNY. It’s an issue that I take very seriously, and we have taken several new steps in recent months to combat hate on all our campuses.

These steps include but are not limited to:

Partnering with Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative to address the global uptick in anti-Semitism while continuing to foster a welcoming community for Jewish students. Seven CUNY colleges are taking part, working with Hillel to understand how Jewish students feel on our campuses and adopt policies and programs to meet their needs.

Investing $750,000 for programming to address all forms of bigotry, including anti-Semitism, to 24 colleges and the central office. The funds are going toward professional development and faculty engagement, and college-specific programming, training and events to strategically respond to discrimination and meet the needs of their communities. As one example, our Newmark Graduate School of Journalism will add to its academic offerings a seminar focused on how media outlets in Jewish communities, in addition to other ethnic groups, are responding to increasing numbers of hate crimes. I understand the J-School will be inviting The Jewish Voice to participate.

Launching an online portal for all members of the CUNY community to report instances of discrimination and retaliation. This creates a standardized process from which the University can analyze trends in the reported incidents. Our college presidents are required to file semi-annual reports on the cases submitted through this portal, and use the data to develop policies and training.

Collaborating with the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY), including on a formalized expansion of the University’s student exchange programs in Israel. I led a group of 12 CUNY college presidents last April on a tour of Israel and the West Bank that JCRC-NY organized where we visited three higher ed institutions.

These are important steps, but there is more work ahead. Anti-Semitism is on the rise nationally, globally and in New York City. This is intolerable, and CUNY is committed to fighting all types of hate on our campuses including anti-Semitism.

When I learned faculty and student groups called for a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, including academic programs abroad, I issued a statement to clarify that this is not action I or CUNY support in any way. Quite the opposite, our core mission is to introduce students to a world that can be vastly different from their own, through international exchange programs and other academic experiences, and to encourage them to engage a range of opinions and beliefs.

CUNY does not support and will not (nor can it) participate in BDS activities and is required to divest public funds from any companies that do so. But free speech is still a constitutional right, allowing CUNY membership organizations the right to speak for themselves. Despite what some news outlets like to portray, those opinions or positions do not represent the views of CUNY or those of the University community as a whole.

We believe the best way to counter the resulting discord is to expand upon the work we do across our campuses to encourage scholarship, dialogue, tolerance and civil engagement that fosters understanding and a way forward. This is the hard and ongoing work that we need to embrace to counter the violence, hate, anti-Semitism and racism that can creep into our campuses, our country and the world.

Thank you again for reaching out.

Best,

Felix Matos Rodriguez

CUNY Chancellor