2008 Woodie Awards
President Ainlay stakes his ground against the Israeli institution boycott
Nathan Seder
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: News
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President Stephen Ainlay has joined the opposition to the proposed boycott of Israeli universities in an issue that has international and foreign policy implications for the United States in the Middle East,
The University and Colleges Union (UCU), a British-based union composed of over 120,000 workers in various academic fields, recently ignited a firestorm of controversy over the boycott. According to a report on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the causes of the boycott are the "moral implications" of working with Israeli universities and their "denial of educational rights" to Palestinians.
Though the boycott of Israeli universities has not yet occurred and is still in the planning states, the opposition has been adamant.
In a letter to the UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt, Ainlay affirmed his support for Columbia University President Lee Bollinger's that the idea of a boycott is "utterly antithetical to the fundamental values of the academy" and that a boycott would only serve to augment trends towards fragmentation and division in the world.
The UCU, as Ainlay writes, "would damage the very mission of higher education."
When asked to comment on the letter and his opposition, Ainlay made clear that the UCU's regional bodies are currently discussing the matter and that many in the UCU oppose the boycott.
The proposed boycott is extremely unpopular in the United Kingdom, with many Jewish organizations staunchly opposing the UCU.
Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell of the United Kingdom stated, "I believe this does nothing to promote the Middle East peace process."
Professor Stephen Berk of the History Department, Union's expert on the Middle East, supported Ainlay's opposition to the proposed boycott.
"I think the proposed boycott is very unfair, because there are many countries, such as Sudan and its involvement in Darfur and Russia's treatment of Chechnya, that have done terrible things and [there is] no boycott against them," said Berk.
The University and Colleges Union (UCU), a British-based union composed of over 120,000 workers in various academic fields, recently ignited a firestorm of controversy over the boycott. According to a report on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the causes of the boycott are the "moral implications" of working with Israeli universities and their "denial of educational rights" to Palestinians.
Though the boycott of Israeli universities has not yet occurred and is still in the planning states, the opposition has been adamant.
In a letter to the UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt, Ainlay affirmed his support for Columbia University President Lee Bollinger's that the idea of a boycott is "utterly antithetical to the fundamental values of the academy" and that a boycott would only serve to augment trends towards fragmentation and division in the world.
The UCU, as Ainlay writes, "would damage the very mission of higher education."
When asked to comment on the letter and his opposition, Ainlay made clear that the UCU's regional bodies are currently discussing the matter and that many in the UCU oppose the boycott.
The proposed boycott is extremely unpopular in the United Kingdom, with many Jewish organizations staunchly opposing the UCU.
Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell of the United Kingdom stated, "I believe this does nothing to promote the Middle East peace process."
Professor Stephen Berk of the History Department, Union's expert on the Middle East, supported Ainlay's opposition to the proposed boycott.
"I think the proposed boycott is very unfair, because there are many countries, such as Sudan and its involvement in Darfur and Russia's treatment of Chechnya, that have done terrible things and [there is] no boycott against them," said Berk.
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