Queen’s backs principal; Israeli boycott response was ‘important,’ VP says

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Queen’s University is defending the principal’s right to respond to a proposed boycott that would impede the academic freedom of Israeli universities.

A campus coalition of students, staff and faculty recently spoke out against a statement made by Principal Karen Hitchcock in which she condemned a proposed boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

Queen’s Coalition against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination sent a letter to Hitchcock this week opposing her statement.

Hitchcock is away and could not be reached for comment. Acting principal Kerry Rowe said he wasn’t sure if Hitchcock had consulted other members of the administration in drafting her statement.

He said he hadn’t yet read the letter from the coalition, but that “the principal’s task is to respond on behalf of the university.

“… I think it’s important for the principal to respond to issues as fundamental to the academic world as academic freedom.”

In a letter to Hitchcock, the coalition wrote that the Queen’s principal’s statement is misrepresentative of the university’s students, staff, faculty and member groups, such as the coalition, because it creates a “political position” that was not invited.

It’s also a position “that could further compromise our academic work, ironically impeding our ‘freedom in research and publication,’ ” the coalition wrote.

In her statement, posted on the university website in July, Hitchcock called the proposed boycott of Israeli institutions by the British University and College Union (UCU) “antithetical to the core value of academic freedom, which is cherished by Queen’s and other universities around the world.”

Despite potentially different views, Hitchcock wrote, freedom of speech and inquiry must be respected and the boycott would impede those rights.

“I therefore denounce the actions of the UCU and absolutely reject its approach.”

Should the British organization follow through with the boycott, she warned “we will have no choice but to add Queen’s University – and many other universities around the world – to its boycott list.”

The UCU’s proposed boycott would suspend all links with Israeli universities, including student exchanges, conference participation and any other actions that require co-operation and collaboration with the Israeli universities.

Local branches of the union are currently debating the boycott and a decision on whether or not to follow through likely won’t happen until next year.

Amita Bhatia, outgoing co-ordinator of the coalition at Queen’s, said coalition board members – including undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty – drafted the letter after meeting several times to brainstorm concerns and recommendations.

“Basically, it was a letter just expressing disappointment that a statement was made without dialogue in the university,” Bhatia said. Hitchcock’s statement “hit the entire Queen’s community by surprise,” she added. “Prior to this there had been years of silence… there was no real discussion about the Palestine-Israel issue in general.”

Bhatia emphasized that the letter was not intended as a political statement about the boycott.

“We did not take a position in support of the [UCU] boycott and we did not take a position against the boycott,” she said.

Rather, she added, the letter expressed regret that Hitchcock had not had the patience to wait until school was in session to facilitate a dialogue with students, staff and faculty about a position on the issue before taking a stance.

“Such a position affects us academically and politically. In all fairness, we need to discuss this before we make generalizing comments.”

Bhatia said there has already been some discussion of organizing a forum in the fall for university members to discuss the boycott. “Come September, there’ll be a lot more questioning and free inquiry into this issue.”

Bhatia said the coalition had not yet had a response to its letter, which requested Hitchcock remove her statement from the university website and instead “consider ways to remedy the harm done by years of military occupation to the Palestinian academy and explore the means by which Queen’s can support Palestinian academics and students.”

Student government president Kingsley Chak said the Alma Mater Society won’t be taking a stance on the issue.

“Being the principal, she has the right to make a statement, but we realize it’s controversial,” he said, adding that if there’s any further discussion, it should be campus-wide.

“There are a lot of different points of view and we need an environment where we can talk about them,” he said.

Queen’s backs principal; Israeli boycott response was ‘important,’ VP says

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