Send us a textSuppressing Dissent                              This is not an easy topic.  It was a lecture delivered to my class on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in November, 2020. It focuses upon how difficult it is to engage in serious discussion of the conflict and of how there are organized efforts to disrupt or silence debate.  One issue is that there are groups trying to define the word anti-Semitism in a way to weaponize it for use in political struggles.  That will require a different podcast. However, if you are interested in the article by Nathan Thrall, it is in the New York Times, March 28, 2019, “How the Battle over Israel and anti-Semitism is Fracturing American Politics.” I wrote three articles in Middle East Policy on the three Presbyterian debates on whether or not to sell their shares in five companies that cooperated with the Israeli occupation.  Those can be found in the University of Michigan virtual archive called Deep Blue.  There is a separate (short) podcast on how to find that, if you need some help. I mentioned that I headed a Task Force that wrote a policy on faculty being required to write letters under circumstances that raised moral issues.  Here is that policy:  Point I.   Faculty Obligation to Support Students: Faculty should endeavor to support their students in the pursuit of their aspirations.  This includes writing letters of recommendation whenever possible.  Point II.   The Case of a Faculty Member Declining to Write a Letter of Support.  Given the right to acts of conscience as a part of academic freedom, faculty members are not obligated to write letters of recommendation for participation in programs if they judge that doing so would compromise their moral principles.  Point III.  Working with the Student:  In the event that a faculty member declines to write a letter covered by this policy, the faculty member should consider meeting with the student to discuss the reasons for that decision.  Such a discussion can be beneficial and educational for those students who may not understand the issues involved.  Point IV.   Due Process in the Event of a Formal Complaint: If there is a complaint under this policy against a faculty member, that matter should be referred to the department grievance committee.  In such an event, there should be an initial assumption that the faculty member behaved appropriately.  There should be strict adherence to due process for the faculty member, including a right to appeal an adverse finding.  In the event of an adverse finding, the matter should be referred to the appropriate  promotion and tenure or other review committee for consideration during their assessment of the individual’s performance of duties.   There should be no sanction beyond whatever comment the committee chooses to include in their review letter. Point V.  Letters for Undeserving Students: This policy affirms the established right of faculty to refuse a letter for an individual  student who is academically or otherwise undeserving.  Note that I was Faculty Ombudsman for 17 years so faculty rights are a big deal for me.  There is another podcast called Thoughts of a Former Terrorist that might be of interest.  Some terms:  Canary Mission, existential threat, BDS, PAC, megadonor, Anti-Semitism. Human Rights Watch.  Standard Practices Guide (SPG), Ombudsman. Apartheid, double standard. Names:  John Cheney-Leopold, Lucy Pederson, President Schlissel, President Duderstadt, Norman Finkelstein, Alan Dershowitz, Steve Salaita, Juan Cole, Nathan Thrall, Ihlan Omar, Benjamin Ne

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