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The Palestine Solidarity Movement created a Web site about its conference.

The Freeman Center for Jewish Life organized activities in support of Israel and to promote campus discussion. Those included a teach-in and a lecture by pro-Israeli activist Daniel Pipes.

Chabad, a Jewish campus organization, sponsored an exhibit of Bus 19, an Israeli bus that was the target of a suicide bomber earlier this year.

   
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  Conference of Palestine Solidarity Movement at Duke

The following is a statement on National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement by Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations John F. Burness:

August 5, 2004

A few weeks ago, Duke University officials learned that the Web site of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, a national student organization, said the group planned to hold its 2004 conference at Duke. The Office of Student Activities and Facilities (OSAF) of Duke's Division of Student Affairs has since met with representatives from Hiwar, a Duke student group working with the Palestine Solidarity Movement to organize this conference. Together, they reviewed the procedures that student organizations must follow to register an event consistent with Duke's policies and practices. The students went on to comply with these procedures, so OSAF has approved the event. The National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement will take place at Duke on October 15-17.

Duke is not the first university to host this national student conference. The group met three years ago at the University of California-Berkeley, two years ago at the University of Michigan, and last year at The Ohio State University. We've been told that these previous conferences examined issues involving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and called upon colleges and universities to divest the stock they hold in companies doing business with Israel.

Obviously, such discussions are controversial and have the potential to evoke strong responses from many sides. Indeed, like the three universities that hosted the conference previously, Duke has already received numerous messages from people urging it to reject the conference, as well as from others expressing support for the event.

The university's response is unambiguous: The Bill of Rights protects free speech, and universities in particular have an obligation to ensure that controversial opinions can be expressed freely and openly. Duke has a long-standing commitment to academic freedom. Last year the university celebrated the 100th anniversary of The Bassett Affair, a defining event in the history of this institution and of academic freedom in American higher education. A century ago, Trinity College, the progenitor of Duke University, faced a fundamental test of its core values, and the decision of its trustees established Trinity and Duke as an institution that zealously guards its commitment to providing a forum for the free and open exchange of controversial ideas.

At times these discussions may be heated, and the views expressed may be offensive or even repulsive to some. But we believe members of the Duke community and the public can learn from these debates and reach their own conclusions, based on the strength of the arguments rather than the loudness of the presentations. Hosting such an event does not imply university endorsement for the views expressed, in this case by the Palestine Solidarity Movement. Rather, it reaffirms our commitment to academic freedom, a core value embraced by President Brodhead, our board of trustees, and other leaders of our university.

The operative question for us has not been whether Duke University agrees with the Palestine Solidarity Movement, but whether the students sponsoring the conference followed the appropriate procedures required for student events and conferences. Since they have now done so, we are committed to working closely with them to hold the event safely and successfully.

We recognize the topic of this conference will generate strong emotions and may spark protests, as it has elsewhere. However, we believe the best antidote to speech that others find disagreeable is more speech, not less. We are encouraged, therefore, that the Freeman Center for Jewish Life at Duke is proposing to provide opportunities for others to express differing viewpoints on the Israeli-Palestinian question.

We hope other groups at Duke with an interest in this topic will also organize discussions. We will expect the discussions on all sides to be civil and respectful, since it is important in our community that issues be discussed in ways that reinforce our commitment to tolerance and respect for the rights of those with whom one disagrees.

We also are committed to providing a safe educational setting that will facilitate open discussion among the conference's participants and interested members of our university community. While we recognize the right of protesters to express their opinions, we consider it inappropriate for protesters to try to shout down speech with which they disagree, or to otherwise disrupt an officially sanctioned student event. Our Student Affairs division and Duke Police will work closely with the student sponsors to ensure the conference venue provides appropriate security for the participants.

We hope this conference will provide an educational moment for our community by focusing attention on one of the most important issues of our time, about which there are many conflicting opinions on our campus and across the world. The conference also will help remind us why universities have such a special role to play in encouraging the open debate and free speech that undergird our democracy. We are encouraged by the spirit of cooperation we have encountered so far, not only from the student organizers but also from many within the Duke community, who cherish the university's traditions and sense of community even as they disagree strongly with views held by the conference organizers or by those who argue that Duke should not host the conference. We welcome similar cooperation from others beyond the Duke community.

Linked to this statement is a copy of an August 5 letter that Gregg Heinselman, director of student life for OSAF, sent to the Duke student sponsors, confirming that their event has met the university's registration requirements. Anyone seeking additional information may also check a Web site we have established with answers to many of the questions we have received about the conference. This Web site will be updated periodically as circumstances warrant.

John F. Burness
Senior Vice President for Public Affairs
and Government Relations
Duke University

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