Wednesday, January 30, 2013

HIKIND CALLS FOR BROOKLYN COLLEGE PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION

NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

January 30, 2013

Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                       For Immediate Release
718-853-9616
973-945-4903 (cell)

HIKIND CALLS FOR BROOKLYN COLLEGE PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION

“KAREN GOULD IS A NICE PERSON. BUT SHE IS A DISASTER
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.

2 comments:

  1. And Tramontano should get booted also.

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  2. There 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?

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