<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[A FATHER’S APPEAL: RESTORE ACADEMIC FREEDOM TO THE ‘LAND OF THE&nbsp;FREE’]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p class="byline"> Posted  			by <a title="Posts by desertpeace" href="http://ps.hadnews.com/author/desertpeace/">desertpeace</a> on Friday, 			<a href="http://ps.hadnews.com/2011/01">January 28</a>, 			<a href="http://ps.hadnews.com/2011">2011</a> at 12:46 pm. </p>
<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"><em>As a  father, I may not always agree with the  opinions of my children, but I  respect and honor their right to have them and I  am proud when they  have the courage to express them, even if those opinions are  unpopular.  How else can any of us continue to learn?</em></span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">The following was sent as a Comment on the  following post…. </span><a title="ZIONISM TRIUMPHS OVER REASON AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE" href="http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/2011/01/27/zionism-triumphs-over-reason-at-brooklyn-college/"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">ZIONISM TRIUMPHS OVER REASON AT  BROOKLYN COLLEGE</span></a></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"><em>‘Food for thought’ as they  say…..</em></span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">As  Kristofer’s father, I am keenly disappointed  with this decision. One of  the things that I love about a free country is  enjoying the right to  maintain and express opinions without fear of  discrimination or  prejudice. I served in the US military for almost all of my  adult life  because I believe in protecting individual freedoms, and I believe  that  all nations have an obligation to set a good example in this regard.  This  decision does not appear to be a good example. I have no fluency  on the issue at  hand, but I know why I served and I believe that this  decision is counter to the  fundamental principles of that service.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">What is  particularly painful for me is that an  inaccurate, irrational, and  indefensible accusation from Assemblyman Dov Hikind  was quickly  followed by Kris’ removal, which would suggest that the leadership  of  the school is in agreement with the Assemblyman’s opinion. If that is  not  true, then the only other conclusion that I can reach is that the  decision  demonstrated a deplorable lack of moral courage. Kris has  never condoned  violence of any kind and never could. I believe on that  topic, I am completely  fluent. </span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">From a  purely academic perspective, I am  currently enrolled in an EMBA program  at Rochester Institute of Technology. I  can write with certainty that  one of my most important sources of learning comes  through robust  dialog with others in my class (or with my Professors) who hold   conflicting opinions. While I am not an educator, suppressing the  opportunity  for such interaction does not make sense to me.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">As a father,  I may not always agree with the  opinions of my children, but I respect  and honor their right to have them and I  am proud when they have the  courage to express them, even if those opinions are  unpopular. How else  can any of us continue to learn?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">One of the  biggest complaints in the US today is  that the truth is often hidden  because people in authority give in to special  interests groups,  lobbyists, and individuals who pay or use political power to  have their  position pushed to the forefront…often squashing opposing opinions. I   imagine that it would be impossible to stop that behavior in politics  due to its  very nature, but I would not have expected an academic  institution to “fold” so  easily and so quickly.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Mark D. Petersen-Overton,<br />
Captain, USN  (ret)</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">You can  support Kris by signing and circulating  the following Petition …. do  your part to help restore Academic Freedom to the  ‘Land of the Free’!</span></div>
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<h1><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/defend-academic-freedom-at-CUNY/"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:large;">Defend Academic Freedom at Brooklyn College,  CUNY</span></a></h1>
<p><a href="http://desertpeace.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/academic-freedom1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-21076" title="academic freedom" src="https://desertpeace.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/academic-freedom1.jpg?w=201&#038;h=251" alt="" width="201" height="251" /></a></p>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Also see the following report from <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/01/28/academic_freedom_brooklyn_israel_palestine&amp;source=newsletter&amp;utm_source=contactology&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%20Newsletter%20%28Text%29_7_30_110"><strong>Salon  News</strong></a> …. </span></div>
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<h1><span style="color:#808000;font-family:Verdana;font-size:large;">Showdown over Israel  and academic freedom</span></h1>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">By Justin  Elliott</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/28/academic_freedom_brooklyn_israel_palestine/md_horiz.jpg" alt="Showdown over Israel and academic freedom" /> </span></p>
<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Salon/iStockphoto</strong></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>CUNY graduate student Kristofer  Petersen-Overton</strong></span></div>
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<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">An adjunct  political science professor was fired  Wednesday by Brooklyn College  following complaints by a student and a local  politician about his  pro-Palestinian political views.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">The college  maintains the instructor, graduate  student Kristofer Petersen-Overton,  was let go because he did not have proper  credentials to teach a  master’s level course on Middle East politics. But  there’s evidence  that other graduate students with the same level of experience  as  Petersen-Overton have had no trouble teaching advanced courses in the   department both in the past and the present.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">And now a group of Brooklyn College professors are  blasting the administration for undermining academic freedom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Here is what happened:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Petersen-Overton,  a political science student at  the CUNY Graduate Center in New York,  was looking for a course to teach in the  spring, and he heard about an  opening at Brooklyn College, which is part of the  CUNY [City University  of New York] system. Petersen-Overton had a B.A. in  political science  from San Diego State and a masters in development from a  university in  Denmark. He has </span><a href="http://www.petersen-overton.com/_/home_files/CV_Jan11.pdf"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">published</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> several articles about Israel and the Palestinians in academic journals   and books. He also previously worked at the Palestinian Center for  Human Rights,  a Gaza NGO, in 2007-08. He started his studies at CUNY in  2009.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">He got the  part-time adjunct professor’s job at  Brooklyn College to teach Middle  East politics, a master’s level course that is  regularly offered in the  political science department. That was in late  December. The acting  chair of the department, who had hired him, asked  Petersen-Overton to  send him a syllabus to circulate to prospective  students.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">That’s when the trouble began.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">One student, whose identity is not known, did not like the  books in the </span><a href="http://www.petersen-overton.com/_/courses.html"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">syllabus</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">.  The student complained to the department and also contacted a blogger   and Brooklyn College alum, Bruce Kesler. He attacked Petersen-Overton in  a Jan.  19. </span><a href="http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/16376-Gaza-Defender-Hired-To-Teach-Middle-East-At-Brooklyn-College.html"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">post</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> titled “Gaza Defender Hired To Teach Middle East At Brooklyn College.”   Kesler criticized Petersen-Overton for being “preoccupied with the  Palestinian  narrative,” for describing Zionism as a “philosophy of  separation,” and for  having published articles on the website  Electronic Intifada.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Around that  same time, a student (likely the same  student) contacted the provost  and complained about Petersen-Overton. All the  details of the  communication between the student and the provost are not clear,  but,  according to Brooklyn College spokesman Jeremy Thompson, the original   complaint  was about “the credentials of the instructor, not about his   politics.” Thompson adds: “What motivated that student? I don’t  know.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Meanwhile, State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, whose  district includes Brooklyn College and who actively </span><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/u-s-politician-wants-american-jews-to-buy-west-bank-homes-1.4040"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">supports</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> Jewish settlements in the West Bank, got wind of Petersen-Overton’s   appointment from the unidentified student. This past Monday, Hikind  fired off a </span><a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/74348/2011/01/26/new-york-assemblyman-decries-appointment-of-pro-suicide-bomber-professor-to-brooklyn-college/"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">letter</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> to the president of Brooklyn College calling Petersen-Overton an “overt   supporter of terrorism” and arguing that “Mr. Petersen-Overton’s  personal biases  should not be allowed to pollute the academic realm.”  Hikind specifically  pointed to a </span><a href="http://gc-cuny.academia.edu/kpetersenoverton/Papers/253796/Inventing_the_Martyr_Martyrdom_as_Palestinian_National_Signifier"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">paper</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> by Petersen-Overton, “Inventing the Martyr: Martyrdom as Palestinian   National Signifier.” In fact, Petersen-Overton has quite clearly </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/nyregion/28prof.html"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">condemned</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> suicide bombings as “heinous acts.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">It was also on  Monday that Petersen-Overton signed  a contract with Brooklyn College  to formally accept the adjunct position. On  Tuesday, he got a call from  a local Jewish newspaper to ask for comment on  Hikind’s charges. On  Wednesday, the chair of the political science department  called  Petersen-Overton and informed him that his contract had been terminated,   even though he had not even begun to teach the class.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">The reason,  according to Brooklyn College? “Mr.  Petersen-Overton was not  sufficientlycredentialled to teach at this level,” says  Thompson, the  spokseman, noting that he does not have his PhD. “The course is an   advanced [master&#8217;s level] course and he is only three semesters into his   doctoral studies.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Thompson also  notes that the provost had been  looking into the matter since several  days before Hikind’s letter. The  assemblyman’s complaint had nothing to  do with the decision, Thompson  says.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">But here’s  where Brooklyn College’s explanation  does not hold up well to scrutiny.  According to a professor of political science  and another graduate  student, there are plenty of other adjunct professors  teaching advanced  courses who have the same credentials as  Petersen-Overton.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Patricia  Stapleton is a CUNY political science  doctoral student who has herself  taught several master’s level courses at  Brooklyn College in the past  few years.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">“I would say  that half the political science  master’s courses being taught per  semester are being taught by grad students who  do not have PhDs, and  some don’t have master’s degrees,” she says. “I have  repeatedly taught  master’s courses without having a master’s degree.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Stapleton  adds: ”The argument they’re making is  just patently untrue. They do  hire adjuncts who do not have PhDs to teach  master’s courses all the  time.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Asked about  other graduate student adjuncts who had  the same credentials as  Petersen-Overton but were not fired, Thompson responded:  “If that is  indeed the case, under the leadership of this president and this   provost, it is not going tolerated in the future.” He declined to say  whether  the provost will actively seek out other such cases.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Mark Ungar is  the political science professor who,  when he was acting department  chair last month, hired Petersen-Overton. He says  in an email that  “many adjuncts have not yet attained their degrees. If they  have not,  we weigh their other credentials as well.” Petersen-Overton’s   on-the-ground human rights work in the Middle East was taken into  account when  he was hired.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Ungar and  eleven other members of the department  objected to the Provost William  Tramontano’s decision to fire Petersen-Overton.  “His decision to reject  our appointment undermines academic freedom and  departmental  governance,” Ungar says.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">CUNY students, meanwhile, have begun circulating a </span><a href="http://www.gcadvocate.com/2011/01/defend-academic-freedom-at-brooklyn-college/"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">petition</span></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;"> “to defend academic freedom.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:medium;">Petersen-Overton,  for his part, is now unemployed.  “It was fear of controversy,” he  says. “The administration looked at this and  thought, ‘Why should we  stick our neck out for a graduate  student?’”</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/category/zionist-harassment/"><br />
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<p><a href="http://ps.hadnews.com/a-father%e2%80%99s-appeal-restore-academic-freedom-to-the-%e2%80%98land-of-the-free%e2%80%99.htm">AT</a></p>
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