The University is striving to defend its decision to allow the annual conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement Oct. 15 to 17, as some outside organizations mount their protests.
Amid a preponderance of negative reactions from beyond the Gothic walls, the University is striving to defend its decision to allow the annual conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement to proceed Oct. 15 to 17.
Multiple Jewish groups, including an alliance of campus organizations and representatives of the Jewish Federation, have supported Duke, but a number of outside organizations are still objecting that the University is letting the student group Hiwar host the conference on campus.
Davis Academy, a Jewish Day School in Atlanta, Ga., has severed its ties with the Duke Talent Identification Program, which allows middle school students to take the SAT and attend summer camp at the University.
Rabbi Steven Ballaban, head of the school, accused PSM of being a forum for terrorists, and he said that by permitting the conference the University is complicit in its activities.
“As far as I’m concerned, as long as Duke has a public position that it will allow a group that has terrorist speakers or has had people make terrorist threats at their conferences, I will not support Duke in any way,” he said.
PSM is regarded in many circles as anti-Semitic, and a variety of groups have accused it of implicitly supporting terrorism. In their own investigation, University officials said they did not find any direct links between terrorist activities and PSM.
A letter from the head of Greenfield Hebrew Academy in Atlanta also withdrew that school’s support for the TIP program, but University administrators said they were unaware of the decision.
University officials attributed the flood of reactions to the deep-seeded emotions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the quantity of unverified information about PSM on the Internet. John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, said Duke is working with Davis Academy to help it understand the University’s policies of academic freedom and its decision to allow the conference.
PSM refuses to condemn any actions by the Palestinian people. Rann Bar-on, local spokesperson for PSM and a Duke mathematics graduate student, has said it is not within the group’s authority to comment on the means of resistance in the Israeli-Palestinian region. The group, however, advocates a peaceful solution to the conflict, and federal officials have found no direct links between the PSM and any militant organizations.
An online petition, started by a member of the Boston Israel Action Community, calls for Duke to shun the conference and boasted 67,686 signatures as of Tuesday night.
The University has met with local and national Jewish groups to defend its decision.
“On those occasions where we’ve had the opportunity to sit down and talk with people directly, they’ve been pretty responsive, and they understand the issues we’re dealing with and the importance of academic freedom and free speech,” Burness said.
After discussing the University’s rationale, local and national leaders of the Jewish Federation issued a statement discouraging people from protesting during the weekend of the PSM conference because such action would lead to more attention. Instead, they encouraged people to take advantage of the variety of events the Jewish campus groups are offering in response.
“We don’t want people protesting because it doesn’t lead to meaningful dialogue, and it creates an atmosphere where violence is more likely,” said senior Rachael Solomon, student president of the Freeman Center for Jewish Life. Among the alternative events planned for the weekend are a Shabbat dinner, several discussion groups and a speech by Avram Berg, former speaker of the Israeli parliament.
Phil Zaleon, president of the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation, noted that even though he does not support protests during the weekend of the conference, he finds the views of the conference itself objectionable and advocates voicing that opinion.
“Protest in and of itself is a good thing,” he said. “And people should express their own concerns if they have concerns that it is being held.”
The University has fielded more than 1,000 e-mails and letters, with alumni penning about 15 percent of them, Burness said. Only about one-tenth of the notes have supported the University’s decision.
Most of the letters have expressed simple disapproval, and individual alumni have pledged not to donate money, he said. Burness noted that several efforts are underway to explain the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression that dictate the University’s policy. President Richard Brodhead will send a letter to alumni this week that will address the issue.
Officials are expecting to spend about $50,000 on security for the October weekend. That number includes protection for the PSM conference as well as the variety of events put on by the Freeman Center and other groups.
The Thursday before the conference begins, students will also host a “Students Against Terror” rally, featuring the band Sister Hazel, local politicians and survivors of terrorist attacks. The event will focus on the effects of Sept. 11 as well as the situation in Sudan and the Middle East, junior organizer Dave Gastwirth said.
Multiple groups, including Campus Council, Duke University Union and the Freeman Center, are helping to sponsor the event, which is distinct from the student programming in response to the PSM conference.
“To the extent that the conference doesn’t condemn terrorism, it’s a response to the conference,” Solomon said. “But it’s a separate event.”
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