NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND
January 30, 2013
HIKIND CALLS FOR BROOKLYN COLLEGE PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION
“KAREN GOULD IS A NICE PERSON. BUT SHE IS A DISASTER
FOR BROOKLYN COLLEGE STUDENTS.”
FOR BROOKLYN COLLEGE STUDENTS.”
Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is asking Karen Gould to resign as the President of Brooklyn College. The Assemblyman believes that Gould’s inability to take a stance against the college being used by a group with a racist agenda is a flagrant misuse of the tax dollars that help fund the college and also creates a chilling effect on Brooklyn College students.
“I had a lengthy
conversation with President Gould yesterday,” said Assemblyman Hikind, a
Brooklyn College graduate. “I made it clear that student groups have every
right to sponsor whichever speakers they like, but that by allowing the school’s
Political Science Department to sponsor and endorse a racist group like the BDS
Movement, Brooklyn College is giving its endorsement—its own seal of approval—to
this group as well.
“Karen Gould
understands what is at stake here. We spoke for a long time. And I must point
out that she is a very nice person. However being the head of a college
requires more than being nice. It requires having a backbone, showing
leadership. It demands having the guts to do the right thing.
“Allowing her Poli-Sci
Department Chair to bully her into letting them co-sponsor and support a
racist, anti-Semitic lecture series is not
the right thing. Or perhaps President Gould wasn’t bullied; maybe she secretly approves.
Or perhaps she’s apathetic. I can only speculate to what her motivation or lack
of motivation is in allowing this irresponsible endorsement of this loathsome event
by her College.
“Either way, President
Gould should not be steering this ship. It is heading for a barge. She should give
someone else the helm, someone who understands how to manage a situation like
this and protect Brooklyn College’s entire
student body. The chilling effect upon Brooklyn College students will have long-term
ramifications. Tacit approval is
approval. Karen Gould should resign.”
Tomorrow, at 11 A.M.,
Assemblyman Hikind will be joined by numerous elected officials and community
groups who will condemn Brooklyn College’s official endorsement and sponsorship
of the event “BDS Movement Against Israel” which calls for a unilateral boycott
against Israel and Israeli businesses.
And Tramontano should get booted also.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when people overstep the boundaries of free speech and this event appears to have the makings of such a time. We all know that it is illegal for me to shout "fire" in a crowded theatre, and for public institutions to discriminate against someone because of their race, religion, and color. Therefore, I am having difficulty understanding how the policitcal science department of a tax-payer CUNY school can sponsor an event that advocates the boycotting of academics based on their nationality and religion. Why is someone not challegning this event in court?
ReplyDelete