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NYU Student Government Assembly Passes Measure for Transparency at NYU Tel Aviv

NYU Student Government passed a resolution for greater transparency surrounding NYU Tel Aviv.

The article was originally published in Washington Square News.
On Thursday afternoon, the Student Government Assembly and the Student Senators Council passed a resolution calling for New York University to be more transparent in its protection of students traveling to the Tel Aviv campus. The resolution follows a list published by the Israeli government this January banning 20 organizations from entering the country.
The list includes Jewish Voice for Peace and National Students for Justice in Palestine, both of which have chapters at NYU. The banned organizations — which represent the United States, Europe, Latin America and South Africa — all subscribe to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which advocates for ending Israeli settlement in Palestinian-occupied areas by using various forms of boycotts against the country of Israel.
Senator-at-Large and JVP President Rose Asaf, Governance Council of Minority and Marginalized Students Director of Advocacy Izzy Khoufaify and Senator-at-Large and Dream Team President Hüsniye Çöğür co-authored the resolution on March 1. The trio, along with Nursing student Tyla Leach, Class of 2019, presented the resolution.
“We hope that any Jewish student, whether a member of JVP or not, will feel free to express their beliefs and ideologies without fear of being isolated, silenced, excluded or ostracized,” the team behind the resolution said in a joint statement. “We hope that Palestinian students can feel like they have a voice — that they too can speak up for what they believe in and take full advantage of all of the study abroad sites that NYU has to offer.”
The statement lists several demands, including requests for NYU to upgrade its commitment to ensuring students equal access to global sites and transparently review non-discrimination policies for Palestinian and Middle Eastern students traveling to Israel.
“It is imperative that the university uphold its commitment to supporting [its] students across the global network,” the leaders behind the resolution said. “Students, regardless of their political beliefs, should be able to reap all of the benefits of the Global Network and receive a well rounded education.”
The resolution also called for NYU to formally denounce the Israeli ban on JVP and SJP.
“I think it’s a totally valid resolution because it’s about the university and it’s about students,” Tandon sophomore Karan Ganta said. “I don’t think it’s about going against any specific identity or discriminating against anyone. I think they did a really thorough job of addressing everyone’s concerns.”
The measure has drawn criticism from other groups on campus, including TorchPAC and Realize Israel. Many students claim it singles out Israel and has the potential to make campus a hostile environment for Jewish students.
“I think this resolution is a disgrace,” College of Arts and Sciences student Bobby Miller, Class of 2021, said. “To use Tel Aviv as a case study for the entire NYU Global [Network] is disgusting. I would consider being in favor of this motion if it was genuinely about accessibility. This is about Israel. This is about condemning Israeli policies. That’s threatening to Jewish students on campus.”
The next step for the resolution is the University Senate, which will likely consider it at the April 26 meeting.
Sakshi Venkatraman is a contributing writer. Email her at feedback@thegazelle.org.
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