FAIR News: Advocacy in Action at UVA
FAIR News: Advocacy in Action at UVA
Newsletter
Dear Friends of FAIR,
Two weeks ago we brought you the story of Matan Goldstein, a Jewish, American-Israeli student at UVA who had filed an incident report on FAIRtransparency.org, detailing the discriminatory harassment he has experienced on campus this school year. The hostility directed at Matan has caused him to disguise his Jewish faith and Israeli ethnicity, has led to extreme depression, and has ultimately driven him away from his assigned housing. He now resides at an undisclosed location out of fear for his safety. Matan has reported the various incidents of harassment to University officials. Instead of finding relief from the hostility, he found himself the subject of an Honor Code charge, alleging that he had lied when talking to a journalist about a physical assault he suffered at a student-led protest last October. This type of retaliatory treatment of students who report discriminatory harassment on campus is, unfortunately, not uncommon. But it certainly caught our attention.
In response to receiving this report and learning more about his situation, FAIR took action to advocate for Matan’s rights. We filed a complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, asking it to investigate UVA for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Additionally, we sent a letter to the Congressional Commission on Civil Rights to make them aware of the environment at UVA, urging the Commission members to hold a hearing with UVA leadership on this matter. Finally, we launched a media campaign to ensure that the world heard Matan’s story.
We were thrilled to learn, merely one week after filing our OCR complaint, that UVA dropped the Honor Code charge against Matan. We applaud the University for dropping this charge, but we want UVA to do more.
All universities must do what is necessary to ensure that each of their students are able to participate in their educational programs and activities without being forced to suffer discriminatory hostility on the basis of their protected characteristics. In the midst of the ongoing protests on college campuses across the country, we are seeing daily civil rights violations occur. If you or someone you know is concerned about Title VI violations occurring on campus, we invite you to access our latest advocacy toolkit, designed specifically to help everyday citizens take meaningful action to curb the hostility that so many students are experiencing day-in and day-out. You can access the Campus Protest Toolkit here.
Warmly,
The Team at the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism
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There is no place for antisemitism at the University of Virginia. Take any hatred and bigotry away from Mr. Jefferson's University. Dropping of the Honor Code sanction is welcomed news.
As a lifelong Democrat who will be voting neither Dem nor GOP this November, I have to admit liberals are still big p**sies when it comes to law and order. I hope they have their 'fun' while they can, because if Trump gets elected they may find themselves in Guantanamo.