Prompted by concerns for a lack of academic integrity and the presence of bias in academic programming with fabrications and falsification about the Middle East coming from the recently established Middle Eastern and Southeast Asia program there at UC-Davis, Professor Moshe Rosenberg has initiated putting together a core group of faculty members to form a chapter of SPME at UC-Davis. Within the past two years there have been a number of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incidents on that campus including the burning of the flag of Israel at the Hillel House there.

Dr. Rosenberg has indicated that he will be consulting with SPME chapter coordinators in the UC system to learn of successful paths to programming and addressing issues of anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism on campus.

Already several faculty members have joined SPME from UC-Davis have taken out contributory memberships, which is a necessary component to become eligible as a chapter and to apply for chapter development funds through our cooperative venture agreement with JNF. For those interested in joining the chapter, contact Dr. Rosenberg at mrosenberg@ucd.edu .

” We are very excited with this development at UC-Davis, ” said Edward S. Beck, SPME President. “this is another example of faculty feeling engaged and empowered through networking and peer support to assume their rightful place in providing an potent and sustained alternative resource to those espousing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic messages to students and colleagues.”

SPME UC Davis joins a growing list of chapters in California either established in formation at University of California-Santa Cruz, California Polytechnic Institute-Pomona, UCLA and University of California-Irvine.