Stanford University students have created a petition demanding the reinstatement of a lecturer who was suspended by the university in October following reports he targeted Jewish students, calling them “colonizers.”
The petition was created on behalf of the lecturer, Ameer Loggins, as a response to his suspension after a controversial class demonstration, which occurred in mid-October three days after the Hamas attack on Israel.
The petition highlights the fact that Loggins is a black Muslim lecturer.
“We want to make clear that Dr. Loggins, who is facing the same fate of so many Black figures, is being publicly shamed and threatened online for being something that he is not,” the petition reads.
A supplemental news release includes multiple student testimonies in support of Loggins and claims his suspension is an example of “injustice” and a lack of inclusivity.
“The way Dr. Loggins’ situation is being handled represents a grave injustice. Stanford University seems to be failing to recognize that his removal comes at the cost of many marginalized students on campus who lack a safe space, a refuge to turn to,” sophomore Milo Golding wrote in the release. “He simply conducted an activity that encouraged students to empathize with Palestinian civilians, fostering critical thinking.”
Zhané Crosby, a student of Loggins, also wrote that: “Sadly, Dr. Loggins’ dismissal serves as yet another example of the rampant cognitive dissonance and underlying white supremacy that manifests itself on this campus every day. The dehumanization he has experienced is not just disheartening but deeply troubling, highlighting the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable environment within the academic community at Stanford University.”
Additionally, the petition makes numerous demands, both immediate and restorative, with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In the short term, the petition calls for the “immediate reinstatement” of Loggins for the remainder of the school year. In the long run, it demands:
“a permanent role for Loggins”
“an explicit promise to continue to work with students of color to hire and protect professors who come from marginalized communities”
“The employment and tenure of more Black and Muslim professors”
and a “public apology from the President and the Provost”
As of Jan. 10, the petition has amassed 1,700 signatures, Stanford’s student newspaper, the Stanford Daily, reported.
It is unclear how long the university plans to keep Loggins out of the classroom, but university spokesperson Luisa Rapport told the outlet that the “investigation, through an outside investigator, remains ongoing.”
Previous reports stated Loggins allegedly asked Jewish students to stand up in class, identify themselves, and relocate to a corner of the classroom. Allegedly, he went on to ask, “How many people died in the Holocaust?” When a student answered, “six million,” he replied, “Colonizers killed more than six million. Israel is a colonizer.”
However, the news release created by students tells a different story.
The statement writes that, although Loggins did single out Jewish students twice during two different lectures, it was not in the manner previously reported. The release claims the first time was to extend an “invitation to these students to share their perspectives” regarding the invasion of Israel. The second time was to “provide a trigger warning for Jewish students” before he discussed the Holocaust, according to the document.
It also offers an alternative explanation for the “Israel is a colonizer” claim.
According to the document, Loggins asked different students where their families were originally from. If a student’s heritage was that of a “colonized nation,” the statement mentioned nations such as Haiti, Loggins “replied by saying, ‘Okay, and Haiti was colonized by the French.’”
Another student responded, saying they were from the United States. Loggins responded with, “Okay, and the United States is a colonizing state,” and so on, according to the news release.
The Stanford media relations division, its spokeswoman Rapport, and Loggins, did not respond to requests for comment from The College Fix.
Despite the narratives in the release and petition, one of the few Jewish students in the class told the San Francisco Chronicle that the lecture left her feeling “dehumanized.”
“It’s like I’m reliving the justification of Nazis 80 years ago on today’s college campus,” said the student, one of Stanford’s Israeli Student Association presidents.
Another Jewish campus leader is completely opposed to Loggins’ reinstatement.
In an email to the Daily, Lee Rosenthal, former president of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, said that while he supports “students voicing their opinions on standing up for justice in the Middle East,” he “cannot support the call to reinstate a professor who singled out and targeted Jewish students in a classroom setting.”
The Hillel at Stanford, the Stanford Israel Association, and Stanford AEPi, the campus Jewish fraternity, did not respond to requests for comment from The College Fix.
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