Pitt’s Faculty Assembly addresses antisemitism on campus
“I’m worried we’ve reached a tipping point on campus,” Murtazashvili said.
During an Oct. 9 meeting, the University of Pittsburgh’s Faculty Assembly addressed antisemitism on campus.
Faculty Assembly President Robin Kear said the agenda item was a reaction to the recent physical attacks of Pitt students and other antisemitic events in the city, especially in Squirrel Hill, where many faculty members and students live.
“I have heard urgent calls for the security of our Jewish students during the month of October, especially,” she said. “I have heard urgent calls for increased attention to antisemitism efforts more broadly on campus, including administratively.”
An ad hoc committee on antisemitism will be formed in November to respond to antisemitic incidents affecting Jewish students, Kear added.
Addressing those in attendance in person and on Zoom, Ted Fritz, vice chancellor of public safety, said that his core mission is “to protect the faculty, staff and students” of the university, regardless of their beliefs, affiliations or views.
Fritz stressed the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the university and its police department, urging people to report anything raising concern, “even if you’re not sure.”
Communication is important to the safety of everyone on campus, he said, noting that the university’s social media sites often have information posted about protests and other non-urgent items.
The university, Fritz said, has a campus climate assessment team, made up of people from many different schools and departments, tasked with gathering information about what is happening on campus and informing the public safety team about things for which they should be on the lookout.
Fritz said that the university also has a threat assessment team that considers risks that “could involve or be dangerous to our community members.”
“We are working with federal, local and state partners all the time,” he said. “I know that sounds trite, but we actually do that. We are working very closely with local partners such as the city police intel section and CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) police.”
Holly Lamb, University of Pittsburgh Police Department chief, discussed various general security programs available to students, such as self-defense classes, a citizen police academy and the Walking Escort program, which provides escorts from both the Hillman Library and William Pitt Union.
After Fritz and Lamb spoke, Kear opened the floor to questions.
Jennifer Murtazashvili, a Jewish professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, said that Jewish students are experiencing a “shocking” level of violence “unprecedented on our campus.”
She asked why Pitt had become such a magnet for violence.
Lamb said she wasn’t sure the school had become a magnet but that the police department was trying to respond.
“I do understand,” Lamb said. “There have been two incidents — terrible — but we are out there trying. We’re trying to get our message out, to communicate.”
The question prompted Jewish faculty member Carey Balaban to disagree with Murtazashvili, saying that he, too, wasn’t convinced the university was a magnet for antisemitism.
“Some of us remember facing this kind of stuff on an individual basis growing up,” he said. “You just sort of fought it out.”
Balaban said the university must remain vigilant but added that people are “hypersensitive” and might be overreporting incidents.
The threat level, Balaban said, is no worse than it has been for the last 50 or 60 years.
Faculty member Chris Bonneau seemingly took issue with Balaban’s statements, saying that he has been surprised by the number of texts and messages he’s received from students who have found the recent physical attacks, as well as some of the other incidents on and around campus, distressing.
“When you see fellow students and faculty and staff chanting slogans that are antisemitic, that seem to be increasing in intensity, when you have student groups call for a ‘Week of Rage,’ I don’t think it’s hyperbolic that these students feel unsafe,” Bonneau said.
Nor is it unreasonable to say the temperature is high, both in the country and on the campus, he added.
“As a faculty assembly,” Bonneau said, “we need to do whatever we can to make these folks feel safe and that includes, if the rules are violated, we need to go through the Student Conduct Code.”
A Jewish faculty member born and raised in Israel, who only identified himself as Eitan, asked what tools are available to address words that can turn into violence.
Lamb reiterated that the most important tool is communication.
“Demonstrations are not a problem,” she said, “as long as they’re not violent.”
Pitt police officers recently completed hate crimes training, Fritz said, noting that the department works closely with the district attorney’s office and the FBI.
Murtazashvili said that she doesn’t believe overreporting is taking place.
“We’re seeing students injured in violent attacks that require medical attention,” she said. “This has led to an environment where many of the Jewish students I’ve spoken to are hiding their identity.”
The students, she said, feel excluded and alone.
“I’m worried we’ve reached a tipping point on campus,” Murtazashvili said.
Faculty member Nancy Glynn said she’s received messages from concerned parents and students.
The recent “Banquet for Gaza,” held on Yom Kippur, she said, caused students and their parents psychological suffering.
“I think we may have a retention issue here at the university with how people are perceiving what’s going on,” she said. “I’m really concerned about that.”
Speaking of the Week of Rage, faculty member Kristin Kanthak said, “I am absolutely certain that there are students involved…who don’t understand how scary it is for Jews to see a document about a Week of Rage.”
The Faculty Assembly, she said, should speak out louder against events like that in the future.
Following the meeting, Kear told the Chronicle that the assembly was working to ensure its processes are clear and responsive to students, faculty and staff concerns about antisemitism on campus.
“Antisemitism is being taken very seriously,” she said.
Daniel Marcus, executive director and CEO of Hillel JUC, was glad to see antisemitism discussed at the meeting.
“The critical subject has to be addresseds in all university forums,” he said, “to ensure that the needs and concerns of the faculty, staff and students are being attended to in a real and practical way.”
Chabad at Pitt Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein said that the university is trying to do a good job but there is “a disconnect” at times.
Rothstein said he is concerned prospective students may decideing not to enroll at Pitt because of antisemitism.
“I want Jewish students to come here,” he said. “I want this to be the place they call home.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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