Colby College President David Greene, left, pictured here in 2019, received a letter from a pro-Palestinian group asking the school to cut ties with Israel and divest from any interests that profit from the occupation of Palestine. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file photo
WATERVILLE — A pro-Palestinian group this week sent Colby College officials emails demanding the college cut ties with Israel and divest from any interests that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Colby President David A. Greene responded to the initial email, which came from an email address outside the college, saying school officials would be pleased to meet with the authors as early as this week but have “no intention of simply acquiescing to threats and arbitrary deadlines from an anonymous group.”
He forwarded both the group’s email and his response to the entire Colby community, after which the group on Wednesday replied, saying it was disappointed by the “remarks and insinuations regarding our organization,” and noted it was sharing its response with the student body.
The issue arose locally as pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the nation have turned violent and hundreds of people arrested. Unlike the situation in places such as Columbia University and City College of New York, college campuses in Maine have remained relatively quiet.
COLBY ACTION FOR PALESTINE
The group calling itself “Colby Action for Palestine” emailed Colby administration Monday, demanding Colby “end its complicity in the present and long-term oppression and genocide alike of the Palestinian people at the hands of the State of Israel.”
Demands included that the college divest from holdings in companies that profit from the Israeli occupation, including Airbnb and Amazon, and that Colby sever ties with Israeli universities, end its January Program course offered in Israel called “Arab Jews: Navigating Oppositional Identities,” and stop selling Sabra Dipping Co. products at the Joseph Family Spa on campus. Sabra, the email says, supports the Israeli economy. The group also demanded Colby not buy Israeli produce and commit to representing Palestinian voices.
“Inaction in regards to these demands ignores the College’s precedent in divesting from oppressive apartheid regimes, as well as of student activism to initiate such action,” it says.
The group said it welcomes a dialogue with Colby administrators, students and campus organizations.
Contacted Wednesday to ask about the emails, security concerns at Colby, and what the feeling is on campus about the issue, a Colby spokesperson said officials don’t know where the document in question came from or who the individuals are who sent it.
“There has been nothing taking place on campus that requires changing our regular security protocols-procedures,” the spokesperson said in an email. “In terms of how the campus community is feeling about this, the general mood does not appear to be different than normal.”
Greene responded to the Colby Action for Palestine email and shared both it and his response to the entire Colby community.
COLBY OFFICIALS RESPOND
“Given that the authors have chosen to be anonymous while making demands and threatening action that could have a broader impact at Colby, we thought it best to share the entire document with our community and provide our views on this approach,” Greene wrote. His email was also signed by Margaret T. McFadden, provost and dean of faculty, and Gustavo Burkett, dean of the college.
“We are committed to fostering an environment that encourages dialogue and the free exchange of ideas to facilitate learning, discovery, and progress,” the letter says. “Our community regularly engages in respectful conversations and navigates challenging discussions — and this has been true as it pertains to the devastating conflict in Israel and Gaza. In a community like ours, where we live and learn together, it is essential that we stand behind our words and actions.”
The email notes that important Colby principles were challenged by the anonymous emailers, including the distributed model of decision-making and shared governance at Colby.
“The authors demand that the College, including its centers and institutes, hold events that are focused on bringing ‘Palestinian perspectives on campus.'” Greene’s response says, “While that might, in fact, be a laudable goal, it is one that needs to arise from well-reasoned and persuasive proposals to the directors and student advisory boards of those entities, not by edict.”
Also challenged was Colby’s “steadfast commitment to academic freedom,” Greene’s letter says.
“The authors call for dismantling the study abroad portion of classes that take place in Israel and undertaking broader academic boycotts. We will neither engage in these blanket boycotts nor impinge on the academic freedom of our faculty in any department. Our faculty must be allowed to carry out their teaching and research in ways that best meet their stated and, in the case of courses, approved goals. That is not negotiable.”
Greene noted that many of the group’s demands were drawn from other organizations and websites without knowledge of whether they pertain to Colby.
“For example, there is a call for divesting from certain stock holdings in the endowment,” Greene wrote. “We have no direct holdings of those stocks in our endowment, a fact that would be apparent to anyone who chooses to ask and seeks to better understand complex investment structures.”
Greene wrote that officials are encouraged by the anonymous letter’s statement condemning acts of antisemitism but, as has been seen on many campuses, claims of those rejecting antisemitism have often proven to be hollow, as hatred, ignorance and bigotry of some of the same people have caused great harm.
Colby response email Contributed
“While we have no reason to question the authors’ sincerity, we will be unequivocal: any activities that engage in or support antisemitism or other forms of religious, racial, or ethnic targeting will be met swiftly and with the full force of our conduct proceedings. We have a strong and consistent record of sanctioning students whose conduct violates our values and rules regarding targeted hate and harassment, including multiple cases that have resulted in students’ suspension and expulsion.”
That, in no way, precludes or minimizes the protection Colby provides to members of its community to engage in peaceful protest and awareness raising as long as those events comport with college policies and don’t interfere with Colby’s academic or operation activities, the letter says.
“The crisis in Israel and Gaza … has had devastating consequences that are of great concern to us personally and to many members of this community. Colby’s role, as a center of teaching and scholarship, is to continue exploring those issues in rigorous, evidence-based ways.”
Greene wrote that Colby officials hoped to hear from the email authors “so we can move beyond veiled threats and engage with them in a serious deliberative process that aligns with our mission and values.”
“UNTIL OUR CALLS ARE HEARD”
In the group’s response Thursday to Greene’s email, posted on Instagram, Colby Action for Palestine says it is a nonviolent organization and there were no threats in its initial email to Colby administrators.
“We simply stated: ‘We will engage in further activism until our calls are heard and the College takes substantive action.’ Framing this as ‘threatening action’ and ‘veiled threats’ is a deliberate misrepresentation of our words in order to discredit our cause. We also condemn your criticism regarding our decision to remain anonymous.”
The group said it remains anonymous to protect the students’ rights of free speech and protest. It took issue with Greene’s email in that it didn’t mention the words “Palestine” or “genocide.”
“This language directly contributes to the systematic erasure of Palestinian identity and history,” it says.
They are asking Colby to stand up for its values, the group said.
“Holding the College’s labs, institutes, and administration accountable for promoting a socially responsible and holistic worldview is within your purview,” said the group’s response to Greene’s letter. “Barring a handful of low-visibility events, the College has made no effort to discuss the Palestinian genocide and the decades of history behind the present violence. If students wanted to engage with and discuss these topics, they have had no regularly organized forum in which to do so.”
The group says it looks forward to Greene’s reply and wants to meet with administrators.
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