Anti-Israel Activity at Wellesley?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

Hello Wellesley students,

I’m the parent of a potential Wellesley student - both my daughter and I liked it very much when we toured; she considered applying ED but although she didn’t, it’s one of the top two or three schools she has in mind.

Thank you for answering these questions about Wellesley; it’s great to hear from students who are already there instead of just guessing at what things will be like. I posted a question in this forum about anti-Israel prejudice at Wellesley (I don’t think you’re allowed to post things twice, otherwise I’d repeat it). I realize that most campuses have at least some anti-Israel agitators; my concern is possible buy-in from administrators possibly creating a more negative campus environment, and also the (from what’s I’ve read) prominent anti-Zionism poster in the student center. Although our family is only somewhat religious and my daughter isn’t interested in politics/political activism, I used to live in Israel and have encouraged my children to feel as association with the country.

The presence of the poster in such a prominent place really concerns me; is this typical of Wellesley or is Israel the ‘first and only’ nation to be targeted.

Also, I’ve read statements from students that those putting up the posters have refused to have any type of dialogue with Jewish and/or pro-Israel students. This isn’t unusual for anti-Israel activists, however on a larger campus one can avoid these types of people. I’m not sure if you can at a smaller school.

I’m going to do some more checking with Zionist and Jewish students, but I’d also like to know the feeling from more politically neutral students, or students who aren’t particularly involved in these issues. What is your perception of anti-Israel activity on campus - is it widespread, or is more a situation of a few loudmouths making themselves known? My guess is that it’s not a not a prominent issue for most students, which is fine, but I’d like to hear directly from other students about the feeling on campus (if any) about the poster and/or other anti-Israel/anti-Jewish bias.

Thanks so much!

2

This is nothing new really. It depends on the campus you are on relative to the strength of the activism. Some small schools could easily have a few very vocal activists and some large schools less vocal activists and vice versa.

Harvard is going through something similar to this vis a vs the admin. The admin recently banned an Israeli-made soda machine as the brand name may offend Middle Eastern students who “might” see the name. However, the admin does not do same for vocal and prominent anti-Israel markings and names promoted by Middle Eastern students or Middle Eastern-supported products. That is the buy-in that many see admins bending over backwards in the name of low intellect political correctness.

This is not unique to college admins either. Harper Collins got caught selling a map of the Middle East targeted to mid-east clientele. The map excluded Israel on the map. Yeah, sure, all editors missed that…(Cough). The company only responded and changed when publicly called on it.

My point is to single out Wellesley for such actions will miss the fact that it occurs on most campuses to one degree or another and changes each year as the student population changes and students graduate and new students come in.

3

I think it’s a valid point to raise concerns about the way the administration handles the activism. Since you brought up Harvard:

I wouldn’t worry that my kid would be without support at Harvard no matter how vocal the activism became. I too am concerned about how Wellesley leadership addresses the concerns of its Jewish students.

4

^^ Thanks for the update. The provost response was a good one. But the fact that it even got implemented tells me that people in some positions are acting, in response to complaints, without thinking.