Michigan University diversity officer accused of saying ‘wealthy and privileged’ Jews don’t need help
A diversity administrator at the University of Michigan has been placed on leave and could be fired after she allegedly said Jewish students were “wealthy and privileged” and did not need support.
Rachel Dawson, who is in charge of the university’s multicultural initiatives, also purportedly said that the college was “controlled by wealthy Jews” and that “Jewish people have no genetic DNA that would connect them to the land of Israel”.
She has been accused of anti-Semitism, a claim she denies, and placed on leave by her employer. Some senior officials believe she should be sacked.
Her comments were allegedly made to another academic at a conference in March, and were unearthed in a Freedom of Information request by The New York Times.
They sparked a complaint by the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan, an organisation that works on anti-Semitism, and an investigation by the university.
The investigation, by an outside law firm, concluded that it was “not possible to determine with certainty” whether Ms Dawson had made the remarks because there was no recording of the conversation.
‘Deeply troubling’
Ms Dawson has denied the allegations. Her lawyer, Amanda Ghannam, told The New York Times that it was “deeply troubling” that her client could be sacked “based on one conversation in somebody’s private capacity”.
However, the incident comes as US universities are under increased pressure to take a hard line against anti-Semitism, after widespread Gaza protests on campuses across the country earlier this year.
The home of one member of the university’s board of regents has been daubed in pro-Palestinian graffiti.
Michigan was once given the label ‘America’s wokest university’ for its extensive DEI policies
The University of Michigan was previously labelled “the wokest university in America” for its expansive DEI policies, and spent more than $250 million on inclusivity initiatives since 2016.
But last week, the university’s board scrapped rules that required staff to discuss how they would advance diversity when applying for jobs.
Mark Bernstein, one of the regents, wrote to the university’s president about Ms Dawson, arguing that she had not been “held accountable in any meaningful way” and that anything less than firing her would “make a mockery” of efforts to tackle anti-Semitism and promote diversity.
University diversity, equality and inclusion schemes have often been criticised for excluding Jewish students, instead focussing on black and other ethnic minority applicants.
Ms Dawson’s role involves overseeing mentoring and retention schemes for racially, culturally and economically diverse students.
A university spokesman declined to comment.
