I feel morally compelled to bring attention to an incident that occurred in a Middle East studies course that directly attacked the academic integrity of Northeastern University. I would like to express my gratitude and sincere appreciation of being a part of the Northeastern University community. This center of higher education has offered so much to me through its unique programs and vast resources, and I am certainly grateful.
The incident that took place, however, caused me great concern. It focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict, which ended in a contentiously controversial conclusion, as a result of an inherently biased, one-sided, and unhealthily unbalanced perspective towards the conflict.
The source of my concern is not that the event itself was inherently one-sided (as much damage as one can inflict on an accurate and meaningful discussion), but the manner in which faculty conducted the class in relation to the material being discussed. There was a video shown in class, and the responses to it have created a serious cause for concern. Students were labeled as “ignorant, misinformed, and non-humble,” for attempting to clarify positions stated in the video in the defense of Israel, with no supplementary knowledge offered to indicate where the ignorant misinformation may have occurred. It is certainly one thing to demonstrate where an undergraduate student may have become potentially confused and offer a convincing rebuttal, however it is another thing entirely when a professional faculty member asserts that a student “lacks humility.”
The video addressed that the only country that could help broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the United States of America. Secretary of State James Baker III stated in the video, “The United States will never abandon Israel,” which began the overall focus of the class discussion. The first comment, that went uncontested, was that Israel and its ally the United States are “hypocritical and racist” countries that do little to help secure peace. Not only does this contradict the reality of the situation, but it is a blatantly bold claim to assert in an academic setting and should have been supported by information to give credence to such a damaging statement. Another student dismissed former Secretary Baker’s statement on Israel, and I raised my hand to offer an American interpretation to Mr. Baker’s statement. I commented that the United States will never abandon its ally, that Israel is there to stay in the region, and that the statement has credibility because some Arab and Palestinian groups do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Immediately following, a faculty member insisted that my statement was “ignorant and misinformed,” and offered no assistance identifying my ignorance of the conflict. To add insult to injury, one of the students ended up in tears, and the same faculty member insisted that it was due to “certain comments,” an accusation I regard as very serious.
It causes me deep concern that such conduct from professional faculty members can persist at an institution of higher learning such as Northeastern. Further, I no longer feel secure within the classroom setting to not only meaningfully participate, but to support Israel in such relevant discussions. It is deeply distressing that any student could arrive at this conclusion, on what is an attempt of classroom censorship. I made a personal choice to invest in the educational resources at Northeastern and grow as an individual with my fellow peers, but this direct attack on academic integrity in our classrooms only creates further tension and conflict within the confines of an already dynamic course topic.
– Andrew Melillo is a senior political science and Middle East studies major.
