CUNY chancellor cannot answer what the university is doing to protect Jewish students

The New York Daily News reports that the chancellor of the CUNY network of schools, Félix Matos Rodríguez, could not answer basic questions about what CUNY is doing to combat antisemitism.

New York City Council members slammed the head of CUNY Monday after he was unable to answer questions about the steps he is taking to fight antisemitism on campus.

“I do think it is outrageous that when we’re having this hearing on such an important topic, that the most rudimentary questions you’ve been unable to answer,” said Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), part of its Jewish caucus. “It’s not enough just to show up.”

...Council members repeatedly chided top CUNY officials for coming unprepared to answer their questions. Neither the chancellor nor his deputies were able to say how many complaints had been made since the [anti-discrimination] portal’s inception, or what was the most common form of discrimination on campus.

....CUNY’s online reporting portal was [described as] “ineffective” and “operates as a black box,” where people seldom know if their complaints are being addressed or even considered. Students echoed those concerns during the hearing, saying they have been openly targeted with harmful stereotypes or excluded because of their backgrounds.

Adding to their concerns that little action was being taken, administrators declined to share student and staff disciplinary data.

Over the past two years, CUNY has invested $1.3 million in campus programs to combat hate, including $550,000 provided by the Council, Matos Rodriguez said during the hearing.

Among the legislative body’s investments was an effort to scale up constructive dialogue trainings for CUNY students and faculty and staff.

Students testified as to what they have experienced on campus:

“They publicly labeled me a genocide enabler simply because I called out the antisemitism of their protest,” one student said.

“All I ask is that Jewish students are treated with the same respect and dignity that any other student would be granted.”

Another student, who was told to remove his star of David necklace while on campus, said his return to school after a trip from Israel was “something of a nightmare.”

“I came to understand that my safety at school could not be guaranteed.”

CUNY planned to open up a "Center for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging" to combat hate by October 1, but I cannot find its webpage.

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