The University of Minnesota, whose department of President Trump’s justice, examines the treatment of anti -Semitism on the campus, on Friday a large extent prevented from issuing official statements on “public or public interest issues”.
This policy in the works of the Moon was not a direct response to the February announcement of Trump’s administration to explore whether Minnesota and nine other universities could protect Jewish students and faculties from discrimination.
However, the university of the Regent Council fits into scratches to undermine the accusations of supporting or reducing anti -Semitic behavior or political activities.
Schools came under a sharp Republican criticism for their responses to protests over the war in Gaza. Campuses have seen bitter debates on the defining of anti -Semitism and Prague, where political expression is intolerant or discriminatory, with the leaders of the university often seek to balance between the permission of freedom of expression and avoiding the potential anger of Washington.
According to the new Minnesota policy, the university’s statement – including universities and departments – will be forbidden on public issues if the President does not determine that this entity does not have a “real or potential impact on the mission and operation of the university”.
The University Senate, which includes students, faculty members and other workers, opposed the plan and at the beginning of January the university group urged a narrower approach. Critics questioned whether politics violates the first amendment and claimed that it was providing excess power to the President in Minnesota.
But during a harsh meeting on Friday in Minneapolis – the meeting went twice because of the protesters – the regents voted, 9 to 3 to approve this policy.
“The university is not and should not be in the business of occupying positions in these critical and controversial affairs of public interest,” said Janie S. Mayeron, chairman of the board of directors. “Individuals can do that.” The university, its leaders and units should not. ”
Another Regent, Robyn J. Gulley, said she received hundreds of news before Friday’s vote, while the “largely” feedback was against the proposal.
“The first amendment protects not only freedom of expression, but also the right to the association,” Mrs. Gulley said before voting against the proposal. “Probably in the world is nowhere to be more important than at universities where it is not only right, but the duty of students, faculties, employees to talk about their areas of research and expertise.
The term ‘institutional neutrality’ is For Minnesota is not uniqueWhere the new policy will include five campuses, including the flagship in Minneapolis. Since the Hamas attack on Israel 7 October 2023, at least 140 universities have adopted such policies, according to a report published by Tuesday Heterodox Academy, a non -profit organization that was critical of progressivism on university campuses.
Before the attack, the report stated that only eight schools had a neutrality policy.
For the past few weeks, the minnesot has triggered new pressure, with the university between schools, that investigators of anti -Semitism of the Ministry of Justice said they would visit to consider “whether the corrective measures were guaranteed”.
The department has not described in detail why Minnesota created its list. Although Richard W. Painter, Professor of Law in Minnesota, who was the highest ethical lawyer of the White House for part of the Presidency George W. Bush, told the Ministry of Education in 2023 about possible anti -Semitism at the university, he has speculated that the interest of the Ministry of Justice may have a political motive.
Tim Walz, who was a democratic nominee for the Vice President last year, is the Governor of Minnesota and the district of representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat, who was the persistent critic of Mr. Trump and Israel.
Minnesota said in a statement that “she is confident in our approach to fighting hatred and bias in our campus and we will always cooperate with any review related to these topics”.
In addition to Minnesota, the Ministry of Justice is examined by Columbia University; George Washington University; Harvard University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Southern California.
But some doubts about Minnesota, which fought with the protest camp last spring, preceded the return of Mr. Trump to power.
For example, in December 2023 Mr. Painter and former regent Michael D. Hsu, Complained to the Ministry of Education The fact that the College of Liberal Arts has allowed the department to use the official website for a statement that was critical to Israel.
He quoted HSU and Mr. Painter – represented a statement by the Faculty of Gender, Women and Sexuality of Studies – approved boycott, selling and sanctions movement, and called on the “dismantling of the Israeli apartheide system”. (After the statement of the statement, the exclusion of liability has been added to notice that “does not reflect the position of the University of Minnesota”)
It was not clear how much Friday’s vote would make Washington’s skepticism easier. Some other universities that recently adopted institutional neutrality were still in investigation by Trump’s administration, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern and South California.
Stephanie Saul The report contributed.
