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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY WILLIAMS, DINNIMAN, STACK AND SCARNATI, APRIL 27, 2010 |
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| REFERRED TO EDUCATION, APRIL 27, 2010 |
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| A RESOLUTION |
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1 | Condemning the resurgence of anti-Semitism on college and |
2 | university campuses and calling upon the Department of |
3 | Education, the State System of Higher Education, each of the |
4 | State-related universities and all of Pennsylvania's |
5 | independent colleges and universities to remain vigilant and |
6 | guarded against acts of anti-Semitism against college and |
7 | university students. |
8 | WHEREAS, Anti-Semitism is an intolerable and ugly form of |
9 | bigotry, prejudice and hostility directed toward persons of the |
10 | Jewish faith, often based on the individual's ethnic, cultural |
11 | or religious identity; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Instances of anti-Semitic conduct, speech and |
13 | intimidation on college and university campuses have increased |
14 | during the past several years, giving rise to the perception |
15 | that such conduct and hate-based speech will be tolerated under |
16 | the guise of First Amendment academic freedom; and |
17 | WHEREAS, The United States Commission on Civil Rights has |
18 | acknowledged the resurgence of anti-Semitic conduct on college |
19 | and university campuses as a serious problem and has recommended |
20 | that the United States Department of Education's Office for |
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1 | Civil Rights protect against anti-Semitic conduct through |
2 | enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and |
3 | WHEREAS, Anti-Semitic conduct on college and university |
4 | campuses has manifested itself in various forms, such as |
5 | patterns of threatening or intimidating behavior, derogatory |
6 | remarks, vandalism, use of symbols of hatred and bigotry and, in |
7 | rare cases, physical altercations; and |
8 | WHEREAS, Hostile environments have been created by college |
9 | and university instructors, students and campus visitors; and |
10 | WHEREAS, Evidence suggests that some university or college |
11 | departments of Middle Eastern studies provide highly |
12 | inflammatory and polarizing academic presentations that may |
13 | exclude Jewish student participation, academically discriminate |
14 | or repress legitimate dissent; and |
15 | WHEREAS, Instances of anti-Semitic conduct have involved |
16 | attempts to compare the nation of Israel to Nazi Germany in the |
17 | 1930s and 1940s and to demonize the Israeli Government and its |
18 | supporters; and |
19 | WHEREAS, Such anti-Semitic instances have occurred throughout |
20 | the nation's centers of academic study, including the University |
21 | of California, Columbia University, Saint Cloud State College in |
22 | Minnesota, Brown University, George Washington University and |
23 | the University of North Dakota; therefore be it |
24 | RESOLVED, That the Senate condemn in the strongest possible |
25 | terms any anti-Semitic conduct as an intolerable, base form of |
26 | bigotry and hatred and recognize that such conduct, particularly |
27 | within centers of academic study, is unacceptable and cannot be |
28 | tolerated; and be it further |
29 | RESOLVED, That the Senate request that the Department of |
30 | Education and the State System of Higher Education, in |
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1 | cooperation with each of the State-related universities and this |
2 | Commonwealth's independent colleges and universities, |
3 | acknowledge the serious problem of anti-Semitic conduct and the |
4 | creation of a hostile learning environment such conduct fosters |
5 | and take necessary steps to prevent such instances from |
6 | occurring on Pennsylvania college and university campuses. |
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