Administration condemns antisemitic phrase written on campus; holds listening session for students on Gaza conflict 

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news

Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey on Tuesday denounced the loss of life in Gaza, and simultaneously condemned a statement written in chalk last week on the Ashland campus that was offensive to some Jewish students and staff on campus.

Bailey took questions from students, staff and faculty and shared his own thoughts during a campus conversation in the Rogue River Room of the Stevenson Union on campus on Tuesday. He also commented on the atmosphere on campus among students, especially for Jewish students, some of whom are fearful in the aftermath of recent protests.

“Someone in chalk had written (on campus), ‘Zionists are not welcome in Ashland,’” Bailey said, noting he is not an expert on Zionism.

Bailey said he doesn’t believe the person who wrote the statement was a student, but quickly came to the defense of students from Israel on campus.

“I’m the president for everyone here and we have students on our campus who are from Israel,” Bailey said. “We have students whose families and loved ones and colleagues and friends are there right now, and 99% of them, and certainly our students, have nothing to do with the atrocities going on over there, but they are certainly starting to feel a lot safer on our campus, and that should be something that concerns all of us.”

A student commented later during the campus conversation regarding the atmosphere on campus for Palestinian students.

“I think it’s important to make sure Jewish students are safe on campus, but I just think it’s also important to take into account that we also have Palestinian students on campus and we need to talk about what are we doing to support them,” she said.

A student protest on campus last week, organized by a student who wishes to remain anonymous, declared the groups’ demands of the SOU administration. The demands, as told to  Ashland.news in an interview, include revealing all known ties to Israel and calling for a ceasefire in Israel. Bailey did not call for a ceasefire directly but denounced the atrocities in Gaza.

“I’ll denounce that personally, I’ll denounce that on behalf of SOU all day,” Bailey said, referencing the loss of more than 35,000 lives.

Bailey said he has started having conversations with students about where the university is investing its money, which, he added, is a delicate conversation.

“SOU – We’re not a big enough school where we have specific ties to specific companies,” Bailey said, adding, “Other than Lithia (Motors).

“The international global markets are so that the web of connectivity is so complicated that I would guess 75% of the computers we have, most of the cellphones we have, most of the supplies we get are somehow tied into global markets, and some of those global markets may have entities that are not tangentially related to the crisis going on.”

He emphasized that he doesn’t believe SOU has direct investments that would cause issues for students.

“There’s nothing to hide, either,” Bailey said, noting that he’s open to more conversations about where finances are going.

Bailey said universities like SOU are at their best when they create space for these conversations — especially when not all agree.

“I think that 99% of people who are protesting … demonstrating … raising awareness on this issue, are doing it from love,” Bailey said. “They see atrocities that are happening overseas, they want to bring attention to it, they want to scream at the top of their lungs so that all of us see it. That’s important.”

He also noted there is a need to incorporate love moving forward when discussing these topics.

SOU Development Director Bill Gray, who said he is new on staff, describes himself as Jewish and a Zionist. Gray spoke up that he was offended by the statement written on campus surrounding the use of the word “Zionist.”

Gray attended a protest held Sunday in the Stevenson Union courtyard, which is designated as a free speech zone for demonstrations. 

“As I stood outside and observed the protest (Sunday), which was peaceful and fine, I see words on the sidewalk and words sting,” Gray said.

The message struck a chord with Gray.

“I do believe we all have a right to exist, Jews and Palestinians have a right to exist. We all have a right to exist in the homeland that we do share,” he said.

Gray said that he is not Israeli and hasn’t lived in Israel, but still feels a kinship and a sense of pride at being Jewish — though, he noted, “not proud of the conflict at this time.”

“And when I see words ‘From the river to the sea’ … that to me says, the Jews will be wiped out,” he said. “That might not be what you intended … it hurts.”

When asked for his stance on the potential for an encampment at Southern Oregon University, as have occurred on other campuses around the state and across the country, Bailey on Tuesday emphasized he wants to create a space where students can express themselves, but also that the administration will not tolerate actions that lead to injury or destruction of property as occurred at Portland State University earlier this year.

PSU President Ann Cudd is a personal friend and colleague of Bailey’s.

Bailey described the scenario at PSU where students started to hold an encampment outside of the library at PSU, which, due to outside parties, turned into a break-in at the library during the middle of the night, whey they barricaded themselves inside.

“This was happening during the school year … and that is the library for their campus, so no student had access to their library and that lasted for about a week,” Bailey said.

“I know that this (student demonstration) was well-meaning …  what happened there was pretty bad,” Bailey said,“and every student is suffering because of that. Again, no one meant for that to happen.”

He noted he wants to celebrate the right of students to defend their right to express their free speech, but that there are limitations when it comes to causing injury. 

“I also want to make clear that we also have to be responsible for our actions,” Bailey said.

“And if something even well-meaning turns into something that … worst-case scenario, actually turns where people get hurt, well then I’m going to want to hold people responsible for their actions,” he said.

Following the campus conversation, Johnson, who is one of the student organizers for demonstrations, told Ashland.news that it is “not likely” that students will hold an encampment on campus.

Johnson said encampments usually have specific goals.

“In the event of (one), it would be completely peaceful and would have no ill intent and would not be violent,” Johnson said. 

“(It) would not be retribution against the school, it would be to work with the school,” Johnson added.

While many share differences of opinions on the crisis in Gaza, Bailey said there are things all can acknowledge, such as the atrocity of the loss of innocent life in Gaza.

Bailey stressed that not every person who is trying to raise awareness for the crisis in Gaza is now engaging in antisemitism. 

“It’s complicated,” Bailey said. “As I’ve tried to learn about Zionism, it is the movement that basically said that Jewish people deserve to have a homeland. It’s what created the State of Israel in the 1940s. It is not necessarily a movement that Jewish people are taking over the world. It is that Israel has the right to exist. And yet, from someone, that is not welcome in Ashland.”

“How do we cultivate an environment where everyone knows that they belong with us and are safe?” he said. “I know it’s a difficult needle to thread for sure.”

He noted that so far, events held on campus have overall served as a role model for the rest of the country.

“I would just ask that we always keep it as an act of love as we move forward,” Bailey said. “I know I’m biased, but I think our campus … and our students in particular have engaged better than anyone has in the way they’ve approached this.”

Bailey shared on Tuesday that he isn’t aware the university has ties with the conflict, but shared a desire to be transparent if there are any that tie them to the conflict.

Students and community members shared a variety of perspectives during the question and answer session.

“The goal of Palestinians is to just live freely on their homeland, not to wipe out the Jewish people from their land,” said an individual from the audience, whose name was unavailable.

Aurora Johnson, an SOU sophomore, also shared personal comments during the campus conversation.

The 19-year-old Arts and Communications major believes it is important to note that Israel as a nation-state and as a concept, and this is a debated concept within the Jewish community.

“I am also the child of a war veteran and I grew up in the military, so I know very well what wartime is like, what war does to people, and it hurts my heart so heavily to see what is happening in Gaza.”

“Israel is not a culmination of what all Jewish people believe,” Johnson added.

Johnson also emphasized she believes it’s important for the university to assure Jewish students that calling for a ceasefire doesn’t mean they aren’t supported or welcome on campus.

“We love you, Jewish students, we love you and we have nothing against you and this has nothing to do with our inclusivity of you and how much we want you on campus,” she added.

Avram Sacks, who also is Jewish and a community member, attended last weeks’ rally. He also shared on Tuesday during the conversation the importance of keeping the conversation away from labeling, whether as Zionist or as antisemitic. He took part in a panel that was held on campus about the conflict earlier this year.

“Those kinds of commitments and judgments are so hurtful,” Sacks said. “So if we could just really be respectful. It’s hard sometimes to listen to points of view that trigger us. 

“Jewish people have a lot of trauma from so many times that we’ve been attacked,” he added. “I think we just need to respect each other.”

Sacks emphasized that, for most Palestinians, the words “From the river to the sea” means “We want to be free. This is our land from the river to the sea and we want to live here in freedom. We want to live in a real democracy … a democracy that doesn’t have a wall down the middle.”

In response to Sacks, Bailey reiterated that every word said on the issue matters.

“How we label things matter,” he said. “When we are triggered, we try to commit to lowering the temperature, listening to understand.”

Bailey noted that the administration is interested in creating a panel discussion regarding the conflict in the near future.

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.

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