UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: Regents wrangle over divisive intolerance policy

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Draft guidelines were rejected by Jewish organizations that say rules do not go far enough to address anti-Semitism on UC’s 10 campuses, including UC Riverside.

LOS ANGELES — Students, professors and activists wrangled at a public forum Monday over how best to address intolerance at University of California campuses, with some Jewish groups arguing the schools should adopt a policy with a more precise definition of anti-Semitism and others saying it would stifle free speech.

A working group of regents and university leaders invited input as it works to revise a proposed policy denouncing intolerance, which Jewish organizations criticized in September as not going far enough to deter what they describe as a spike in anti-Semitism on the 10 UC campuses.

The public system with nearly 250,000 students has become a focal point in the discussion of freedom of expression and civil liberties on college campuses following several high-profile incidents, including one in which swastikas were spray-painted on a Jewish fraternity house.

“Jewish students are fearful to show their support for Israel,” said Leore Ben David, a campus coordinator for the Zionist Organization of America. “I am not here today to silence criticism of Israel. I am asking this working group to take a stand against racism and injustice.”

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[Source]: The Press Enterprise