Student Alleges Bias Report Line Ignored Misconduct Claim
Students are claiming that the administrative response to misconduct allegations on campus are one-sided, allowing some to go reprimand-free.
The global rise of anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and Antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip, is undeniable. Palestinian, Muslim, and Jewish communities alike have faced an unprecedented increase in hate crimes, verbal assaults and harassment over the past two months. Home to a diverse community of students, NYU has repeatedly promised safety and diligence in reprimanding students who break codes of conduct on campus. However, some feel as if the university is not holding true to its promise.
On Dec. 13, Local received an email from a student who claimed that a report submitted to the bias response line went ignored–for over a month. The student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, wrote that they had noticed posters which reflected anti-Arab sentiment going up in the neighborhood surrounding Gramercy Green Residence Hall, and initially was disappointed and threatened by their presence. The student then came to find out that the posters had been placed by an NYU community member.
The student was able to confirm the identity of the NYU community member responsible for putting the posters up, through Facebook posts. In these posts, the NYU community member claimed responsibility for the posters, and has yet to delete the post. The student compiled screenshots of the Facebook post, in addition to images of the flyer in the street, in their report to the bias response line.
The poster, which quotes former Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, reads:
“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us”.
Attached below is an image the student submitted to Local. The quote clearly suggests somewhat of an inherent hatred of Israeli people on the part of Arabs, which here refers to Palestinians. Considering the murder of 20,000 Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces over the past two months, the quote also suggests that the civilians themselves are at fault for their own murders. The student reported feeling unsafe and unwelcome.
The student reported the incident to the campus bias response line on Nov. 8th, and has yet to receive any response. In an interview with Local, the student responded to questions regarding how the incident has made them feel.
Q: How did your feelings about the poster change upon learning an NYU community member was responsible for putting it up?
A: It’s a quote I’m quite familiar with as it has been used to dehumanize Palestinians for decades. Seeing it on a poster in the city wasn’t a huge shock given the general environment. I knew not to tear down the poster, because students have been getting in trouble for it. When I learned it was an NYU community member, I was shocked and honestly felt very let down. These are people who are supposed to be safe.
Q: What was the bias report experience like for you? Were you at all ever in direct contact with someone regarding the report?
A: It was awful. I truly thought that filing a bias report would mean that the university would respond with something, anything, maybe an apology, maybe assurances to students. But I got nothing. Someone responded within a couple of hours to say that they will look into the incident. So I naively thought that maybe within a day or two I’d hear something by way of a follow-up. But to this day, more than a month later, I have not heard anything, not even after the most recent email I sent on Dec. 13.
Q: What are your general feelings regarding the university response to rising anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia on campus?
A: We see the university come down hard on students who are anti-war or call for an end to the Israeli occupation. We see the university create a program to address antisemitism. I am personally all for the study and prevention of antisemitism, which is vile and has no place anywhere in the world. I can’t even say anymore that I wish anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia will be taken as seriously, because I now have zero faith it ever will be. Not by NYU, not by this country. NYU is making it very clear which students matter to them and which ones do not. My experience with reporting this racist incident in my residence hall confirmed this to me. The email I sent to you went to dozens of university officials, and not one person responded.
Q: Have you been able to talk openly about your perspectives and understanding of the current genocide in Gaza?
A: I’ve felt silenced because I see my classmates get in trouble when they express their perspectives. I’ve seen video surveillance happen at the Paulson Lobby during a peaceful sit-in. Those cameras were aimed at anti-war protestors and when counter protestors came, the cameras stayed on the anti-war protestors. It’s clear who NYU is watching. So I don’t put my name on things, try to participate in peaceful protests wearing a mask because I don’t want to get doxxed and harassed. I worry about being seen going to events on campus that are pro-Palestine in case there are faculty or staff there that are taking notes. I saw a faculty member taking pictures of us [anti-war protestors] at a protest on Oct. 17. So I’m not talking hypothetically here.
Q: What are steps you think are required to make Arab and Muslim students on campus feel safe and protected by the university?
A: At a minimum, take our complaints about Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism seriously and do away with the double standards. Hold students, faculty, and staff to the same standards. Keep our campus and residence halls around the city free of hate. Stop surveilling only those of us who protest for the end of the massacres in Gaza.
Across the country, universities have had to contend with student-led political activity. For many administrations, this has looked like shutting down particular anti-war student groups, such as Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine. Here at NYU, a student was suspended for pulling down a poster of an Israeli civilian who had been kidnapped on Oct. 7th. In the wake of such administrative action, one would think the offense for pulling down a poster would be equal to the putting up of an offensive one. However, NYU has given no such indications that this is a matter worth properly investigating.
A poster targeting the Arab community, put up by a member of the NYU community, certainly requires response, especially in the wake of the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont, which has left one student paralyzed.
Antisemitism, anti-Arab racism, and Islamophobia have no place on university campuses. NYU students are imploring administration to do more in defense of all students.
Local reached out to NYU Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Strategic Communications, John Beckman, for comment but has received no response as of Dec. 18.
