Student organization to host Conference on Palestine issues

COLUMBUS – An Ohio State University student group, the Committee for Justice in Palestine (CJP), will host the Third National Student Conference on Palestine Solidarity. The conference is set for Nov. 7-9 in the Ohio Union.

CJP is a registered Ohio State student organization whose stated mission is to promote the causes of the Palestinian people. The conference is in addition to a similar event that will be held in October at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

William H. Hall, vice president for Student Affairs at Ohio State, said that both the U.S. Constitution and university policy are what give the student organization the right to hold the conference. “The First Amendment protects the rights of groups to meet, and any attempt to deny access or control of the content of meetings would be illegal,” he said. Because the group is a student organization in good standing, university policy also allows the conference to go forward. The conference will be funded by participant registration fees and not taxpayer funds.

“The university’s policy is to foster a spirit of free inquiry and timely discussion of ideas as long as the views expressed are stated openly and subject to critical evaluation,” Hall said. “The views of the conference and its organizers are solely theirs and do not reflect the views of The Ohio State University.”

Hall said academic institutions are places where a wide array of ideas, diversity of thoughts and opinions, and the challenging of assumptions should be encouraged and fostered. At the same time, Hall said the sponsoring organization has the responsibility to conduct a meeting within the parameters of civility and legality. The university will work with the group to ensure that all policies are followed so that the event is conducted in a safe and civil manner.

Hall also said that he understands why some individuals are disappointed that the conference is going forward. “We have received hundreds of emails from people who have expressed views ranging from deep concern to outrage, and we take these messages very seriously. We also appreciate their right to express them.

“At the same time, we pledge to work with the student organization and other groups on campus to promote dialogue that is open, tolerant and reasonable,” Hall said.