A DEI officer fired for antisemitic comments? That shouldn't surprise you. | Opinion
University of Michigan case shows how antisemitism can gain traction on campus even as DEI initiatives are commonplace.
As this year comes to a close, one of the things I’m most grateful for is what appears to be the unraveling of the “diversity, equity and inclusion” regime that has reigned on college campuses and in corporate boardrooms for too long.
It’s a poisonous and divisive creed – not to mention one that creates costly bureaucracies.
Exhibit A is the recent firing of one of these so-called DEI officers at the University of Michigan.
The New York Times reported this month that the university fired Rachel Dawson, who oversaw the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives – one of the many branches in an ever-growing diversity empire.
Dawson allegedly made antisemitic comments at a conference in March. And a later statement from the University of Michigan mentioned Dawson’s behavior at a campus protest. (Dawson plans to sue the school over the firing.)
“Dawson was fired by the provost because her behavior as a university representative at a conference and during an on-campus protest was inconsistent with her job responsibilities, including leading a multicultural office charged with supporting all students, and represented extremely poor judgment,” university spokesperson Kay Jarvis said in an email obtained by Inside Higher Ed.
The protest in question appears to be one related to a pro-Palestinian campus gathering in August, according to IHE's reporting
Wonder why students hate Israel? This twisted way of thinking has come from the top.
None of this is shocking to those of us who’ve closely followed the spread of DEI.
DEI initiatives have been linked to ugly antisemitic demonstrations (in too many cases, these have turned violent) on college campuses, including at the University of Michigan.
DEI teaches that for every “oppressed” group, there must be an oppressor. In the case of the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian terrorists were made out to be the oppressed people who were fighting for their freedom. Thus, the way this twisted thinking goes, there was “justification” for the brutal murders of so many innocent Israelis.
College students aren’t learning this in a vacuum, and plenty of professors on numerous campuses have been complicit in spreading these ideas.
So have "diversity and inclusion" officers like Dawson, it seems.
A complaint sent this year to the university by the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan detailed some of the alleged behavior by Dawson at the conference. She was accused by others in attendance of saying that the University of Michigan is “controlled by wealthy Jews,” and that Jewish students are “wealthy and privileged” and don’t need her office’s support.
Even more alarming, Dawson allegedly said, “Jewish people have no genetic DNA that would connect them to the land of Israel.”
Before she was fired, the university had issued Dawson a warning and said that she’d have to “undergo training in antisemitism and leadership,” according to reporting from The Times.
Just let that sink in for a minute, given her position.
Once a university regent discovered what was going on, he strongly disagreed with the “punishment” and instead demanded her exit.
University of Michigan should clean house of diversity bureaucracy
Dawson’s firing comes during a time of broader antisemitism on campus – and off.
For instance, the home of Jordan Acker, a regent at the University of Michigan, was recently vandalized with pro-Palestinian and Hamas messages. His front window was smashed while his family slept. He said it's the third time he has been targeted since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Acker is Jewish.
“This has nothing to do with the First Amendment, has nothing to do with Palestine, nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with trying to harass and intimidate Jews,” Acker said after the incident. “And this Jew will not be intimidated by it.”
Other regents’ homes also have been subject to vandalism and protest in the past year, with students and others upset that the university has investments that they think benefit Israel.
What’s happening at the University of Michigan is echoed on many other campuses. No wonder a new survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression found a vast majority of faculty nationwide said they found it difficult to have “an open and honest conversation" on campus about a variety of political and cultural topics; 70% named the Israel-Palestine conflict as one of the most contentious issues.
If universities want to get back to being places where free thought and open discussion can flourish, they should start by ridding themselves of the dangerous ideology at the top.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques