President commits to more education on anti-racism

The following is a message from Dr. Michael Benarroch, president and vice-chancellor:

Since the Max Rady College of Medicine’s convocation on May 16, my colleagues and I have heard from hundreds of community members speaking both for and against the message in the valedictorian’s address. It is clear to me that our community is now more deeply divided than ever before.

Following convocation, Dr. Peter Nickerson, Dean of the Max Rady College of Medicine, shared a statement on behalf of the college.

On May 24, following my own reflection, I reached out to a small group of community members with a personal response, which is provided at the end of this message.

As President, I have felt it important that our university maintains neutrality about the complex geopolitical situations in Israel and Gaza. Universities are not monolithic institutions made up of groups of people sharing homogeneous perspectives and experiences. This institutional neutrality however should not be interpreted as inattention, nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of any form of racism.

I am committed to the principle of freedom of expression. But with that freedom comes responsibility, and it is critically important for free speech to coexist with the protection of human rights. I want all perspectives to be able to be shared without having any group experience hate. It concerns me greatly that members of our UM community have felt they have been the target of hate.

In my message, I shared UM’s commitment to offer additional anti-racism education resources – an effort that is already underway with deans and vice-provosts having recently attended sessions on Islamophobia and antisemitism. This training will be extended to our broader community of students, faculty and staff and will be made mandatory for students in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

As we move forward, I hope we can all commit to learning more about experiences and perspectives that are not our own to begin healing our deep divide. We need to work together to make our campuses welcoming spaces for everyone, recognizing the strength that comes from our diversity.

Michael

Date: May 24, 2024
Subject: College of Medicine Convocation Ceremony

Last week, UM celebrated the convocation of 106 new physicians from the Max Rady College of Medicine. What should have been a joyous occasion for all graduating students was tarnished by the valedictorian’s address. Valedictory addresses should celebrate the accomplishments of the students in the class and provide inspiration to help motivate the graduates in their future careers. The address should speak to all the students in the class. Valedictory addresses are not political platforms for one student or a group of students to express their views, no matter how important or relevant the issue. Universities, including the University of Manitoba, provide many platforms of expression and I believe this is why we have seen so much political activism on our campuses in the past few months.

As President, I have felt it important that our university maintains neutrality about the complex geopolitical situation in Israel and Gaza. Universities are not monolithic institutions made up of groups of people sharing homogeneous perspectives and experiences. This neutrality however should not be interpreted as inattention, nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of antisemitism, or any other form of racism. I have been carefully watching and listening to what has been happening on our campuses – and I am distressed by the escalation in both activity and rhetoric that is causing pain and harm in our community and not moving the world closer to peace in the middle east.

Many universities, including UM, have long and painful histories of systemic antisemitism. You don’t have to look much further than our medical college’s notorious quota system – something our college’s very namesake, Max Rady, had to overcome to gain entry – to find an example. I am saddened to acknowledge that antisemitism continues to exist on our campuses today. I hear far too often from students and colleagues who do not feel UM’s campuses are safe for them.

I am and always have been a fierce defender of free speech. As the president of a university, I am keenly aware of my – our – obligation to protect this fundamental freedom. But with that freedom comes responsibility, and it is critically important for free speech to coexist with the protection of human rights. I fear that the way one perspective is being expressed is resulting in another group experiencing hate.

Simply put, UM needs to do better.

What I have found shocking in the communications directed at UM in the aftermath of the valedictory speech, is how unaware people are of the systemic antisemitism that exists in the world. Israel is not above criticism, but the insidious nature of antisemitism is such that many cannot even recognize it for what it is. As a university, we can and will bring our resources to bear to offer much-needed education to our students, faculty and staff. I commit UM to develop additional anti-racism education resources including antisemitism training for our students, faculty and staff – an effort that is already underway. This training will be made mandatory for students in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

I wish I could guarantee you that this type of occurrence will not happen again at our university. Unfortunately, I fear that there will continue to be hard times ahead.

I have heard from many people that they are questioning their association with UM in light of recent events. While I fully understand why you might feel this way, now, more than ever, UM needs you. As President, I rely on UM alumni and friends to add to the rich diversity of thought and perspective that help us navigate challenging times as an institution. I realize there are many organizations and individuals who are hurt and angry, asking you to back off from your support for universities right now. I’m asking you to lean in. With your voice at the table, we can be stronger, more inclusive, and more responsive. Your voice and the benefit of your wisdom and experience can help us effectively confront antisemitism and grow understanding.