FROM THE DAILY TARGUM: Universities must invest in Palestinian representation

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Image description: Palestinian flags waving in the breeze.

Rutgers is known for its vast range of studies and disciplines, with the School of Arts and Sciences offering more than 100 majors and minors across 34 departments and 13 programs. 

While these numbers seem impressive, Palestinians continue to be underrepresented at this University and among academic institutions in general.

I noticed this recently while trying to find an advisor for a research project I am currently working on regarding Palestinian resistance and the media. After reaching out to only a few professors to inquire about being my advisor, they started recommending each other, proving the lack of faculty members whose expertise lay within the Palestinian cause and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Across all three Rutgers campuses — New Brunswick, Camden and Newark — the University includes more than 8,000 full- and part-time faculty, more than 14,000 full- and part-time staff and more than "1,500 international scholars representing nearly 100 countries."  

On top of that, the student body is representative of more than 125 countries as of last semester. Despite these reported numbers, I have only encountered two faculty members whose expertise is specifically focused on the Palestinian cause. 

Even the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences includes just eight affiliated faculty members, some of whom are not even full-time faculty — though it is worth noting that these faculty members are distinguished individuals who have obtained years of experience within their field and authored many published works.

More strikingly, but maybe not as surprisingly, there is only one course within all of Rutgers that directly teaches students about the Palestinian-Israeli issue, titled "Arab-Israeli Conflict." 

This issue between Palestinians and Israelis is no doubt notorious for its stark controversy in opposing viewpoints but is nonetheless an ongoing and very pressing human rights issue that needs to be given exposure within higher education classrooms.

One of the privileges of attending a university is that students have many more opportunities to learn about a wide variety of subjects that were never taught or even mentioned in public schools growing up.

While Rutgers has many incredible faculty members with whom I have had the privilege of learning from since my first year, one class that teaches the very long and complex history of Palestinians and Israelis is not enough nor fair. But what is the reason for this? Some say that it is not entirely definitive.

Rutgers has a partnership with Tel Aviv University, a public university in Israel. As of Nov. 17, 2021, University President Jonathan Holloway and President of Tel Aviv University Ariel Porat "signed a memorandum of understanding that will further the collaboration between the two research universities." 

This partnership was immediately met with opposition from the Arab and Middle Eastern communities on campus. One organization, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) wrote a statement regarding this newly established partnership, urging Holloway to terminate this relationship, noting that collaborating with an Israeli university is "to legitimize and sustain Israeli apartheid and the ongoing settler-colonization of Palestine." 

It is also a shame that across the U.S., many professors who provide instruction on Palestine or have publicly supported Palestine have been met with extreme harassment and even the loss of their jobs. 

One former Palestinian American professor at the University of Illinois, Steven Salaita, repeatedly tweeted anti-Israeli sentiment on Twitter in 2014. After debate, discussion and public outcry, the university rescinded his job. 

Salaita is one of many instructors across various academic institutions who have received harsh backlash for supporting Palestinians and denouncing Zionism and illegal occupation.

Luckily, many university communities, Rutgers' included, are able to take initiative and create organizations that support the Palestinian people. With a large Arab and Middle Eastern community at Rutgers, there are organizations like SJP and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund that both directly advocate and support the Palestinian community and cause.

If you have been wanting to get more involved in these areas, you can follow these organizations on Instagram and Twitter. The groups also host continuous opportunities for social and fundraising events, which tend to be co-sponsored by other organizations, such as the Arab Cultural Club and the Muslim Student Association.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, professors who support and teach in this subject area deserve representation and protection, especially within academic institutions of higher education where students are supposed to learn about what has rarely been taught in public schools. 

One course is not enough.