The Irvine Faculty Association (IFA) fully supports the statement from the UC-wide Council of Faculty Associations (CUCFA) about the urgency of defending academic freedom and the free speech rights of instructional faculty and students to express support for the Palestinian people and/or criticize the actions of the Israeli government.
We are adding this message to address specific concerns our membership at UCI have expressed about the statement UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman appended to UC President Michael Drake’s message of November 10th, 2023. Gillman was the only UC Chancellor to add his own message to Drake’s; in his message, Gillman makes the following statement:
There are very different viewpoints about the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, but it must be remembered that Regents Policy 4403: Statement of Principles Against Intolerance calls on University leaders “actively to challenge anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination when and whenever they emerge within the University community.” The report leading to the creation of this policy condemned not only to [sic] overt expressions of antisemitism but also “antisemitic forms of Anti-Zionism.” We must also stand against any speech or actions that promote Islamophobia, because as stated in the Regents Policy, real harm arises from contemporary manifestations of historical biases, stereotypes, and prejudices, which is why all members of the university community have a responsibility to “foster an equal learning environment for all, in which all members of the community are welcomed and confident of their physical safety.”
This statement is intentionally misleading and factually inaccurate. First, we should note that the Regents’ “Statement of Principles Against Intolerance” does not include any reference to Anti-Zionism. Rather, it says simply, and in terms we unquestioningly support, “Anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination have no place in the University.”
Gillman then claims that “the report leading to the creation of this policy condemned not only to overt expressions of antisemitism but also “antisemitic forms of Anti-Zionism.” Here Gillman refers to the “Final Report of the Regents Working Group on the Principles Against Intolerance,” produced in January 2016. This report details the history of the “Principles,” which began when the Regents received public comments from people concerned about an increase in incidents of anti-Semitism on UC campuses. Some of those public comments urged the Regents to adopt a definition of anti-Semitism promoted by the IHRA and U.S. State Department which includes anti-Zionism. But others, the Report notes, argued that such a definition “would sweep in speech protected by principles of academic freedom and the First Amendment.” The Board of Regents concluded that adopting a definition of anti-Semitism that conflated it with anti-Zionism was unacceptable. As the ACLU puts it, such language “risks chilling constitutionally protected speech by incorrectly equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism” and risks leading colleges and universities “to suppress speech…critical of Israel,” concerns that have also been raised by the AAUP, National Lawyers Guild, as well as scholars of the Middle East and scholars of anti-Semitism and the holocaust.
To come up with language that would honor the principle of tolerance and non-discrimination while protecting academic freedom and free speech, the Regents formed a Working Group (including Regents, campus leaders, and faculty); this committee, in turn, held a public forum and consulted with scholars with expertise in anti-Semitism and free speech. They convened a series of meetings to draft the new statement, which received extensive public and UC-community comment. The resulting “Statement” did not make any references to anti-Zionism: far from using or citing the language Gillman quotes, the Working Group which produced the “Statement of Principles Against Intolerance” explicitly rejected it.
The IFA is deeply concerned by Gillman’s intentionally misleading misrepresentation of these documents, especially given that Working Groups like the one described here are the primary way that faculty and experts engage in shared governance and Regential policy. In a moment when Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and anti-Zionist Jewish faculty at UCI are being targeted for harassment, it is urgent that our campus leadership be clear and uncompromising in their defense of academic freedom, including the freedom of scholars to question and criticize the actions of Israel. We demand that Chancellor Gillman immediately issue a message correcting his misrepresentations, clarifying that neither UC nor UCI has adopted the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, and stating his commitment to defending the right of faculty to speak on these topics without fear of retaliation or punishment.
The IFA is a voluntary faculty association, affiliated with the AAUP, whose mission is to represent UC Irvine faculty concerns, including the urgent need to protect and defend academic freedom. As the primary mechanism through which faculty can advocate for their rights as workers, the IFA’s strength comes from its membership’s engagement and advocacy. If you are not yet a member of the IFA, please join us today! If you are interested in being part of a sub-committee of faculty to do solidarity work and advocacy around issues relating to Palestine and academic freedom, please contact us at irvinefa@gmail.com.
Solidarity,
The IFA Board
Annie McClanahan, Chair
Kevan Aguilar, Vice Chair
Aaron Bornstein, Treasurer
Tiara Naputi, Secretary