Academic Free Speech, Anti-Semitism and Campus Climate: An Educational Forum

May 16, 2013

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Is all criticism of Israel protected speech?  When is such speech anti-Semitic speech?  Who decides? Is hate speech or controversial public protest, however offensive to some, protected on college campuses?

The issues are complex and some argue that they have become more contentious over the years.   However, by avoiding an honest dialogue between the differing viewpoints, little light can be shed for undergraduate students who have very little access to civil discourse on these issues.  

Since 2004, the Co-curricular Programs unit at College Nine and College Ten, UCSC has facilitated debates addressing some of the most challenging and controversial topics of our time.  These programs have offered a platform where experts with widely differing viewpoints have debated topics including affirmative action, the war in Iraq, and marriage equality.

The May 23rd educational forum on Academic Free Speech, Anti-Semitism and Campus Climate will be moderated by Provost Helen Shapiro.  Introductory comments by UCSC Professor Bettina Aptheker (Feminist Studies) will provide background on Free Speech.  Professor Peter Kenez (History) will provide background on the history of Anti-Semitism.

Rick Barton is a partner at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP.  In 1992, Barton began working in a volunteer capacity for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in San Diego. 

In 2012, Barton co-authored Identity, Inclusiveness and Free Speech on Campus.  A Workshop for Administrators published by ADL.

Yaman Salahi is an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)  where his work focuses on the civil rights and liberties of Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities.   He obtained his law degree from Yale, and did his undergraduate at UC  Berkeley, where he was a member of HYPERLINK "http://www.calsjp.org/"Students for Justice in Palestine.

The event will be sponsored by the College Ten Co-curricular Unit.