American University Student Government leaders are urging university administration to update the Student Code of Conduct and create a specific task force to combat antisemitism.
SG’s Undergraduate Senate unanimously voted to approve Resolution 19-020 at a senate meeting on Oct. 6. As part of the resolution, SG will continue working with other campus organizations and departments to provide antisemitism training, offer educational programming and ask the University to create a task force dedicated to countering antisemitism.
The resolution proposes changes to the University’s Student Code of Conduct and Non-Title IX Sexual Misconduct Policy. It also asks the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices and Office of Equity & Title IX to consider “a two-dimensional framework to analyze instances of antisemitic expression” and provide all campus organizations with information about how to file Title IX complaints of discrimination.
The resolution says that SG “denounces antisemitism in all forms, expresses its solidarity with the Jewish community, and reaffirms its commitment to combating antisemitism.” While it reaffirms that everyone is entitled to their political opinions, it also states that if one’s political opinion invokes hate “it must be condemned.”
During the meeting, Senator-at-Large Connor Thompson, a sponsor of the resolution and a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said he hopes it will prevent future antisemitic acts on campus.
“In addition to an aversion to hate, it was also a way to try to make amends with the Jewish community after the BDS resolution passed last April,” Thompson said.
Hanna Hajdu, Senator-at-Large and a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said SG held several discussions on the details of the resolution.
“What happened was there were over two separate meetings that we held specifically about this resolution,” Hajdu said. “We went through it section by section and made sure that we hammered this out.”
According to Hajdu, Sponsors Thompson and Hajdu held individual meetings with other senators, the executive board, and the Associate Director of Student Involvement Asa Mack to ensure the resolution thoroughly addressed all of the senators' concerns.
Hajdu said SG is also calling upon the Office of Student Affairs and the Jewish Studies Program to establish a permanent Countering Antisemitism Task Force to combat antisemitism. The task force would “identify indicators and drivers of antisemitic radicalization,” begin the implementation of educational programs throughout campus and evaluate programs that are designed to counter antisemitism at the University. The task force would also provide support and assistance to anybody or any community affected by antisemitism at the University.
“We’re going to have to work very closely with admin because this is going to be in their arena now,” Hajdu said. “We can’t demand that it’s going to happen, but we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that students have equal representation from campus orgs.”
According to Thompson, the resolution was created not only to prevent antisemitism on campus but also to be “a precedent and template to protect all historically marginalized communities and further existing campus anti-discrimination efforts.”
“I will say that I am eyeing up an Islamophobia resolution because that was brought up in committee, that this antisemitism resolution should also include language on like anti-Muslim hate, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Arab hate as well,” Thompson said. “So in order to fulfill that promise that was made we’ll tackle that next.”
This article was edited by Payton Anderson, Maya Cederlund, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Ariana Kavoossi and Ella Rousseau.
