Calif. professors protest campus antisemitism
One sleeping in his office inspires others to do so
A growing number of college professors in California will sleep in their offices overnight this week to protest the response to antisemitism on their campuses.
They’re joining Ron Hassner, a political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has been staying in his office for nearly two weeks in response to what he sees as inaction on the part of school administrators. He says they’ve failed to act on a list of demands he presented after recent incidents on the Northern California campus.
Hassner wants staff to receive training on curbing antisemitism and Islamophobia. He also requested that if invited speakers are disrupted by protestors and cannot finish their presentations, they be asked back to campus to speak again.
“Everybody in the Berkeley leadership is deeply embarrassed by professors and students who speak out of line and behave in unprofessional ways,” he told USA TODAY.
A group of more than 20 other faculty across California, including at Stanford and San Francisco State University, agreed to hold their own “sit-ins” this week in solidarity with Hassner. Sitins are common forms of political protest, especially on college campuses.
Among the faculty supporting Hassner is Jeff Kopstein, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of California, Irvine.
“I’ve been a professor for 33 years,” he said. “The last term was the most difficult of my career.”
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year, college campuses across the country have reckoned with widespread protests and disagreement over how to address the conflict in and beyond the classroom. Administrators, especially at the largest and most selective universities, have struggled to placate passionate students and influential donors. Fiery congressional hearings on the subject ended in two Ivy League presidents resigning from their posts.
According to a University of Chicago study published this month, 56% of Jewish college students have felt they were in personal danger since the war broke out. More than half of Muslim college students reported the same fears. The study analyzed the results of surveys of 5,000 college students across 600 schools.
Hassner’s school, UC Berkeley, said in a statement to USA TODAY it remains committed to fostering an environment where students and staff can speak freely without fear of harassment.
“The administration is committed to confronting antisemitism and holds Professor Hassner in great esteem and it is in conversation with him about his concerns and requests,” Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor, said.