TABLE OF CONTENTS

*President's Task Force on Inter-group Relations with a Focus on Jewish/Palestinian Communities

This presidential task force will examine inter-group relations at San Francisco State University and advise the University on immediate and long-term strategies for improving the campus climate particularly regarding the concerns of the Jewish and Palestinian communities.

The Task Force is charged with a short-term, action-oriented agenda and a longer-term agenda that will dovetail with that of the current Commission on University Strategic Planning (CUSP II). The short-term tasks for the Task Force are:

• to recommend immediate actions that can be taken to improve campus climate for our Jewish and Palestinian communities
• to consider various facets of the University that may be relevant to issues raised by the Jewish, Palestinian and related communities regarding recent events on campus. These may include the University's curriculum; co-curricular activities; orientation programs for students, staff, administrators and faculty; colloquia; and campus policies
• to recommend to the president by August 1, 2002 those immediate actions that should be taken by appropriate areas of the University

Drawing from the preliminary report and agenda, the Task Force, in consultation with the president and the CUSP II group, will develop a long-term agenda including the following tasks:

• to study more comprehensively the issues in the August 1, 2002 report that demand continued attention
• to relate, where appropriate, Jewish and Palestinian community concerns to those regarding inter-group relations among other SFSU communities, e.g. racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexual identity, disability or other social or cultural communities
• to recommend actions that continue to improve campus climate for our Jewish and Palestinian communities in manner that complements the ongoing work of the CUSP II process

The term of the Task Force will be determined within the context of the CUSP II strategic planning process.

* On July 17, 2002, name changed to President's Task Force on Inter-group Relations: Initial Focus on the Effect of Middle East Issues on Campus Life

• Professor Alvin Alvarez, Counseling Department
• Professor Fred Astren, Jewish Studies Program
• Dean Sheldon Axler, Science and Engineering
• Mr. Khaldoun Baghdadi, Attorney with Walkup, Melodia, Kelly, Echeverria
• Ms. Patty Bartscher, SFSU Counsel
• Mr. Seth Brysk, Director, San Francisco Hillel
• Professor Robert Cherny, Academic Senate/History
• Ms. Karen Clopton, Chief of Operations, SFSU Foundation, Inc.
• Mr. Paul Cohen, Hillel Northern California Field Services Consultant
• Mr. Dennis Dubinsky, Israel Coalition Student Representative
• Mr. Alan Fisk, Career Center
• Mr. Will Flowers, Director, Student Programs/Office of Leadership Development
• Ms. Denise Fox, Director, Human Resources
• Mr. Souleiman Ghali, President, Islamic Society of San Francisco
• Dr. Jess Ghannam, UCSF Professor of Psychology
• Professor Lillian Hyatt, Emerita, Professor SFSU
• Rabbi Douglas Kahn, Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council, San Francisco
• Professor Marcelle Kardush, Psychology
• Mr. Muata Kenyatta, Director, Performing Arts, ASI (MSA Advisor)
• Professor Hamid Khani, BECA
• Professor John Kim, Chair, Psychology
• Mr. Eyad Kishawi, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
• Professor Stan Kowalczyk, Management
• Professor Eileen Levy, Director, School of Social Work
• Ms. Gabriana Marks, Hillel Student Representative
• Professor Leticia Márquez-Magaña, Biology
• *Professor Minoo Moallem, Chair, Women's Studies
• Dean Kenneth Monteiro, Human Relations/Psychology
• Ms. Nahiel Nazzal, GUPS Representative
• Ms. Ronda Newt-Scott, President, Associated Students, Inc.
• Dean Jacob Perea, College of Education
• Mr. Mark Phillips, Government & Community Relations/Sec. Ed.
• Ms. Abeer Rafidi, Executive Director, Arab Cultural Center
• Mr. Michael Santini, MSA Representative
• Mr. Matthew Shenoda, Lecturer, Ethnic Studies
• Professor Dwight Simpson, Int'l Relations - Center for Interdisc Programs
• Mr. Phil Ting, Government & Community Relations
• Ms. Julie Vaquilar, (Staff) College of Extended Learning
• Professor Pamela Vaughn, Chair, Classics and Comparative & World Literature
• Dr. Penelope Warren, Counseling & Psychological Services
• Chief Kim Wible, Department of Public Safety
• Reverend Michael Yoshi, Buena Vista United Methodist Church

* Effective as of September 1, 2002

Dear President Corrigan:

On behalf of the Task Force, I am pleased to submit this preliminary status report and recommendations for improving inter-group relations on campus, with a special emphasis on the Jewish and Palestinian communities. Your original charge commissioned the President's Task Force on Inter-Group Relations with a Focus on Jewish/Palestinian Communities. After considerable deliberation, the Task Force requested and you agreed that the focus should be broadened and thus, the name of the Task Force has been modified, with your approval, to "The President's Task Force on Inter-group Relations: Initial Focus on the Effect of Middle East Issues on Campus Life."

In addition to the broadening of the initial focus, the Task Force requested and you agreed to include additional student and community representatives. As a result, the current membership of the Task Force has 42 members who represent several University academic and administrative departments, student organizations, and the greater Arab, Jewish and Muslim communities. While all of the members of the Task Force have been provided with the opportunity to attend Task Force meetings, sub-committee meetings, listening groups, and review drafts of this report, it is neither intended to reflect a consensus of opinion of all 42 members nor to imply endorsement by any individual member. This report is not the culmination of the process but instead the beginning.

We are attempting to address the short-term tasks mandated in the charge and recommend immediate actions that can begin to address improving inter-group relations in the following areas:

• Campus Policies on the conduct of rallies and the expression of free speech
• Orientation programs for students, staff, administrators and faculty
• Colloquia, special events, and discussions
• Psychological Counseling Services
• Employment Practices
• University Curriculum

This preliminary report is precisely that, preliminary; however, we have made considerable progress over the summer despite vacation schedules and other member time constraints. We have engaged in several discussions on student discipline, several Task Force members have raised concerns about student and organizational disciplinary procedures and we will continue to discuss this issue in the fall both in the Task Force as a whole and on the sub-committee level. In addition, several Task Force members wish to address lawful and productive ways to respond to speech that is morally repugnant and counter to a peaceful learning environment.

I believe that these seminal recommendations will stimulate immediate and constructive actions. I also believe that as the Task Force membership becomes better acquainted with each other and the University's operating procedures, we will be better able to help develop a long-term comprehensive agenda to address inter-group relations on campus.

The Task Force is committed to carrying out your charge. A half day retreat in early fall would foster good will and create more trust between the Task Force members. We are also requesting additional clerical support. After the summary of initial recommendations, we have made some preliminary suggestions for the implementation of the long-term agenda of the Task Force.

We will be setting a regular monthly meeting schedule for the fall semester for the Task Force, as charged; to study more comprehensively the issues that demand continued attention. We will also begin to address inter-group relations among other university communities.

I remain at your service.

Very truly yours,

Karen V. Clopton

Campus policies on the conduct of rallies and the expression of free speech

1. Broadly disseminate First Amendment and Free Speech rights and what constitutes both protected speech and non-protected speech under the First Amendment.

2. Review and revise the policies related to student organizations and the conduct of rallies:

a. Use of Buildings and Grounds, Executive Directive 89-13 regulating time, place, and manner
b. OSPLD policies for registering and holding events
c. Student Center policies for use of facilities
d. Student code of conduct (Title V).

3. The Task Force subcommittee may provide oversight on this, but it will be most important to bring together the Student Center Governing Board, Associated Students, Inc., Academic Senate Student Affairs Committee, OSPLD, and VP Student Affairs office to discuss coordinating these policies and eliminating discrepancies among them.

4. We are also recommending revision of particular aspects of the policies, such as distance between groups with opposing views, posting of flags and banners, responsibilities of students, student organizations, off-campus visitors and faculty advisors, and other important details.

5. Disseminate widely all policies and procedures, when revised, to all student organizations, faculty advisors, and other parties. These policies should be readily available on a web site as well as available in hard copy.

6. Develop a process to respond to speech, conduct, and activities, which might be protected by the law but are offensive and emotionally and physically adverse to a safe learning environment.

Orientation programs for students, staff, administrators, and faculty

What the University needs:

• A mechanism for constructive interaction
• Development of a true campus community, not just special interests
• Clearly articulated standards and criteria incorporating -- at a minimum -- principles of
  • Respect
  • Civility
  • Conflict resolution
  • Freedom of speech
  • Appreciation of diversity

Orientation should have three FOCI:

1. Initial orientation programs for new faculty, staff, and students

These programs are currently conducted by the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching, Human Resources, and Undergraduate Studies. Human Relations (with cooperation of Counseling, Associated Students, CFA, Academic Senate, and others as appropriate) should offer workshops and training to those conducting orientations as well as to the new faculty, staff, and students. The student orientation should engage student leaders in discussions on free speech, hate speech, and the role of the campus community in creating a climate for civil discourse on campus.

2. Orientation for current employees

Programs (similar to what is developed in (1) above, should be developed for current employees and students, with the oversight of Human Resources/Counseling, and coordination among deans, department chairs and program directors. The Academic Senate could provide leadership in establishing policies and codes of conduct.

3. Ongoing orientation

Establish a team to conduct ongoing in-service trainings and act as a resource for inquiries, complaints and requests for education, interventions, etc.; involve Faculty Affairs, Academic Senate (issues of professional ethics, review of tenured faculty, etc.), Associated Students, OSPLD, and so on.

4. Encourage students at orientation to seek pro-active opportunities to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds, including members of groups that are sometimes in disagreement over political issues, to foster dialogue and promote cooperation.

Colloquia, Special Events, and Discussions

1. The University should foster the creation of an interfaith and inter-group student organization that:

a. encourages interfaith dialogue

b. includes the range of the faith communities and those which do not practice faith but wish to be included in the dialogue

c. has on and off campus sponsors, advisors and support

d. produces a publication so as to educate the wider campus

e. partners with groups such as the United Religions Initiative, The Ecumenical House, Hillel, The Muslim community, St. Thomas Moore Newman Center and others.

2. Provide educational programming around the showing of appropriate films such as the documentary, "Promises", which presents Middle East issues from the perspective of Jewish and Palestinian children. In addition, we might consider collaboration with the Jewish Film festival and Arab Film festivals to bring in a variety of films and a variety of community resources, broader cultural arts.

3. Sponsor multi-cultural arts groups/musical groups that include both Arab and Jewish musicians performing together.

4. Community service projects (a shared value of different cultures; e.g. feeding the homeless, visiting elderly, local ecological projects).

5. Food Festival (more developed and inclusive than the current format, which is essentially a fundraiser for various student groups; e.g. cooking classes, taste sessions, guest instructors from the culinary academy, the history of cuisine).

6. University sponsored debates of divergent views (with questions and answers for students to ask pointed questions of panelists).

7. Open Houses (campus-sponsored trips to various houses of worship).

1. The University should fund the study of mental health service needs of Arab, Jewish and Muslim student populations as these might concern Counseling and Psychological Services, in particular, and the larger University community in general.

2. The director of Counseling and Psychological Services should consider the creation of various student advisory boards to clarify student needs, gather feedback about how services might be offered most effectively to specific populations, and to help forge facilitative connections with groups that might otherwise be hesitant to use the services of the unit.

3. In the present context, separate advisory boards opening up conversations with Arab, Jewish and Muslim student groups should be established.

4. Ensure that sufficient faculty in Counseling and Psychological Services continues to include individuals with expertise in addressing the concerns of Jewish students and add one or more clinicians with specific expertise and experience in addressing the concerns of those from the Arab World or of Arab descent and Muslim students. In the absence of such clinicians on campus, the University should identify appropriate potential volunteer clinicians from off-campus.

5. Counseling and Psychological Services should continue its program of on-going professional development, giving high priority to clinical issues related to the experience of students of Arab decent and to Muslim and Jewish students on campus. The University should augment the unit's budget for such professional development.

6. The University should identify a continuum of services, programs and human resources on, and off-campus that are appropriately differentiated in terms of functions, expertise and other qualifications to address emotional, social and educational needs that go beyond the need for clinical services, e.g. mentoring, advising.

7. Since the availability of psychological counseling is but one component in establishing an emotionally healthy campus climate, the University should provide on-going educational experiences, for students, faculty, staff, and administrators relevant to the Task Force's area of concern.

8. Similarly, while Counseling and Psychological Services has a share in promoting cultural competency within the campus community, the unit does not bear this responsibility by itself. Therefore, the University should support the development of on-going educational programs fostering such competency, especially as it relates to Arab, Jewish and Islamic cultures.

Employment Practices

1. Ensure that sufficient faculty in Counseling and Psychological Services continues to include individuals with expertise in addressing the concerns of Jewish students and hire Arab, Jewish and Muslim sensitive staff to better serve the Arab, Jewish and Muslim student population.

2. Evaluate the capacity of CAPS staff to address particular psychological needs of Arab, Jewish and Muslim students.

3. Ask relevant university departments to review their curriculum for deficiencies in the study of the Arab and Islamic World as well as Jewish history and people. Departments are then encouraged to request new faculty hires to redress identified problems so as to develop cultural competency around issues pertaining to the Middle East.

4. Faculty and staff should understand the diverse campus community of SFSU and be equipped (through orientation, training, literature, updates, and periodic re-training) to meet the needs of all students. The training and hiring considerations should be applied to existing staff as well and should consider sensitivities to all cultures, races, religions, etc.

University Curriculum