Sarah Lawrence Student Senate Rejects J Street U Chapter Application

Nearly two dozen J Street U chapters have formed at other schools nationwide since the attacks as students sought to advance the group's self-described pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian and pro-peace positions. The student senate rejected the application after voicing strong opposition.

Student senators compared recognizing the group to approving a white supremacist organization, according to an audio recording and transcript of the meeting. One senator raised concerns about the group's Zionist language, stating it furthered logic of Israeli sovereignty and self-determination that they said was contingent on Palestinian displacement, apartheid and genocide.

The application was rejected. When the students appealed the decision, the senate rejected the appeal as well in March. The final vote tallies were not included in the meeting minutes.

Faculty members and alumni supportive of the students have lobbied the college administration to intervene. On Monday, faculty delivered a petition to the president drawing on the school's bylaws that allow leadership to grant recognition when it is in the best interests of the college.

The petition argued that rejecting the chapter violated the institution's Principles for Mutual Respect and its policy to foster honest inquiry, free speech and open discourse. It has garnered more than 20 signatures. The college administration has so far chosen not to intervene.

The dean of students said the administration does not intervene in the process unless there is a clear violation of policy. The dean added that it was not unusual for organizations to be denied recognition and suggested that students explore other means of activism or reapply next year.

The case marks the first time a J Street U campus chapter has been blocked from forming anywhere, according to the group. J Street's president said in a statement that the organization is proud of students' work to create spaces for dialogue and diverse perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The statement added that J Street has long opposed efforts to curb speech and free expression on campus and encouraged the administration to approve the chapter's application. A faculty member who holds an endowed chair of Middle East studies at the college said he was alarmed by the rejection, describing it as blatant political discrimination.

The professor said he had been struggling for the past few years to promote responsible campus dialogue about the complexities of Zionism. He noted that a hardline pro-Palestinian contingent had taken up much of the space on campus. A longtime professor at the college said the faculty had not been successful in helping students understand that the only community worth belonging to is one in which everyone welcomes disagreement rather than trying to shut it down.

The student who led the effort to form the chapter graduated on Friday and said they were sad the group never received recognition as a club. The student senate did not return multiple requests for comment. At other schools where student governments have targeted Jewish groups, administrators have sometimes rejected those decisions.