The task force studying Middle East tensions at San Francisco State University has only begun to scratch the surface, according to some of its Jewish members.
Although the 38-member task force issued a preliminary list of recommendations for improving relations between Jewish and Palestinian students earlier this month, they say there’s still a lot more to be done before the historically anti-Semitic atmosphere on campus can change.
Furthermore, they say the initial recommendations — like the formation of an Arab and Islamic studies program — speak more to issues of curriculum than campus interrelations.
“What you see so far doesn’t really get to the heart of the problem: the tensions between the students,” said Seth Brysk, director of San Francisco Hillel. “But this is an ongoing process. And this is only the initial step in a problem that has been going on for years.”
Paul Cohen, International Hillel’s senior consultant for campus strategic services, agreed that the task force is “honorable and farsighted” in its goals but peripheral in its focus.
University President Robert A. Corrigan formed the task force in June in an attempt to improve the climate on campus, where tensions have been continually mounting between Palestinian and Israel supporters since the ’80s. The group will examine these tensions and advise the university on immediate and long-term solutions.
Among the initial recommendations released on Aug. 9:
*Curriculum: The establishment of an Arab and Islamic studies program, similar to the Jewish studies program, which was created with financial support from the Jewish community. SFSU already hired two Islamic scholars for the fall semester.
*Codes of conduct: The university should revise major policies regarding student organizations and conduct at rallies, such as distance between groups with opposing views, posting of flags and banners and the responsibilities of students, off-campus visitors and faculty advisers.
*Psychological counseling services: The university should fund the study of psychological support for Arab, Jewish and Muslim students. Faculty with expertise in addressing concerns of Arab, Jewish and Muslim students should be available. Advisory boards to help open conversations with the three groups should be established.
Brysk said the recommendations are “not the consensus, but the best compromise from the various committees and discussions that took place.”
In a letter to task force chair Karen Clopton, Corrigan endorsed the initial recommendations. It is now up to him to provide guidance on how to move forward, according to Ligeia Polidora, SFSU public relations director.
Brysk said members of the task force spent the summer learning about the longtime problems between Jewish and Palestinian students at SFSU.
From the Jewish side, he said Hillel and the Jewish Community Relations Council provided members with “a rather hefty binder” of newspaper clippings, e-mail messages and reports about the nature of anti-Semitism on campus.
From the Palestinian side, the largest concern “had to do with trying to get a level of recognition from the university,” said Cohen.
The task force watched a videotape of a controversial rally on the campus May 7, when pro-Palestinian counter-demonstrators and pro-Israel demonstrators were at odds. During listening sessions, several students, faculty and community members spoke to the task force about their experiences at the university.
“The Jewish community and the Arab-Palestinian community has been a part of a discussion we wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate in. Hopefully the community leadership on both sides will see each other and recognize we have communal needs and desires,” said Fred Astren, associate professor of Jewish studies at SFSU.
Cohen, however, expressed concern that there was “an attempt by some members of the task force to bring up the Middle East situation and inject comments about Israeli actions” at some of the meetings. This, he said, is of “no practical value” to the task force.
“The issue is not what’s going on in the Middle East, but how our huge, impassioned differences, which are legitimate, are going to be handled within the context of the academic community.”
He said the Jewish members of the task force “have not risen to the debate that has been thrown at us. It’s too easy for Jews and Arabs to be pitted against one another and we’re working very hard to prevent that from happening.”
Yitzhak Santis, director of Middle East affairs for the JCRC, is not on the task force. but speaking for his executive director Doug Kahn (who is out of the country), he said he heard the task force has become a bit unwieldy. The JCRC supports the creation of the Arab studies program and calls it “a legitimate endeavor,” he said. “It is the mandate of the task force to help form a civil atmosphere on campus” — it shouldn’t get “bogged down” in curriculum.
Therefore, at upcoming meetings, Cohen plans to address “more specific” concerns. For instance, “Jewish student groups have not had the opportunities and advantages allocated to Muslim and other student groups,” he said. “They’ve been denied office space in the student union. And it has been very difficult to get support from student fees for programming of interest” to Jewish students.
Ultimately, Astren and other Jewish members of the task force agree it is up to Jewish campus leaders, the Jewish studies department and Jewish students to ensure Jewish issues remain a priority.
“You should never pin your hopes on a university,” said Brysk.
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