University of California Bans BDS

There hasn’t been much positive news coming out of the University of California and its satellite campuses lately, but this is a step in the right direction. Outgoing President Michael Drake has announced that UC entities and student governments can forget about all those BDS (Boycott-Divest-Sanctions) proclamations and calls to boycott Israel and businesses doing business with the Jewish state. In the past, I have been critical of Drake, especially during the years he was the chancellor at UC Irvine, but I give him credit for this move.

I also give credit to President Trump for setting the tone in his administration that anti-Semitism must be countered, particularly in our universities, which are collectively the focal point for this resurgence in anti-Semitism in the US. For too long, university administrators have allowed this situation to get out of hand, giving slap-on-the-wrist suspensions to students who disrupted Jewish events, bullied Jewish students, and more recently, occupied university spaces and disrupted the functions of the campus.  For too many years, university administrators have been afraid to crack down on student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and various chapters of the Muslim Student Association (MSA). 

But now, with Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling Congress, the Department of Education and the House Committee on Education and the Workplace are cracking down on these corrupt institutions of “higher learning”. While the above House committee has held hearings and criticized the inaction of university presidents, the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights is launching a series of investigations into complaints of anti-Semitism against some of our “most prestigious universities”. And it’s not just the reputations of these universities that are at stake; it is also billions in federal dollars that are now on the table, not to mention accreditation.

In addition, the UC system is under investigation by DOJ for allegations of discriminatory hiring practices.

Can there be any doubt that these universities are being moved to action by the seriousness being displayed by Trump, the House Republicans, and DOE? In my opinion, the threat of withholding billions of dollars in federal grants and the national embarrassment brought upon academia by the House hearings have sent a clear message to university leaders that there will be consequences for continuing to ignore the pleas of Jewish students and to allow disruption on their campuses. 

These academic institutions are raking in billions of dollars in donations (both foreign and domestic), grants, and exorbitant tuitions. It has had, in my view, a corrupting influence on academia. They and their brainwashed students can cry all they want about freedom of expression and federal crackdowns, but they are not entitled to one penny of federal money. They are failing in their core mission-to educate. What they are succeeding in is indoctrination.

I just hope that Trump keeps his foot on the pedal and doesn’t restore what has been suspended. Of course, these gains will all turn to sand if the Democrats get back into power because they overwhelmingly support the nonsense that has taken over our campuses. While it is true that DOE/OCR initiated some investigations into anti-Semitism on university campuses under Biden, the former president and his fellow Democrats in Congress never showed much interest in the complaints of anti-Semitism coming from Jewish students.  

While I applaud the action by UC President Drake, much more needs to be done. Every university in the country should make SJP suspensions permanent, as well as MSA chapters that violate campus rules of decorum. To cite an interesting case: In 2010, the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UC Irvine disrupted the speech of then-Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Oren. (I was present.) Eleven students who stood and disrupted the speech were removed by campus police, and the Orange County District Attorney filed misdemeanor charges against them and won convictions. The university itself was against the idea of prosecuting the students. What they did do was suspend MSU for a year. It was during this period of time that SJP formed a chapter at UC Irvine, no doubt to fill the void. Eventually, the vice chancellor cut the suspension to one quarter as he walked out the door into retirement. (In my view, SJP now acts as the lightning rod for the various MSU/MSA chapters around the country. They have many of the same members.) It goes without saying that violent disruptions and acts of anti-Semitism should result in arrests and expulsions.

It all comes down to this: Trump, his administration, and the Republicans in Congress must keep up the pressure. Left to their own devices, our universities will never change. Start taking their money away, and they will pay attention.