Manhattan, NY – Pressure Grows for Trustee Jeff Wiesenfeld, to Resign

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    Manhattan, NY – The day after City University of New York trustees approved an honorary degree for the playwright Tony Kushner, pressure continued to mount on Tuesday for the resignation or removal of the trustee who had raised concerns about Mr. Kushner’s views on Israel.

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    The CUNY faculty union renewed its calls for the trustee, Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld, to step down, while CUNY officials said they had received dozens of e-mails – including some form letters – demanding his removal.

    Barbara Bowen, president of the union, the Professional Staff Congress, which represents 22,000 faculty and staff members, said the honorary degree was the latest episode in which Mr. Wiesenfeld had inserted himself inappropriately in university activities.

    In 2001, he called participation in an October “teach-in” sponsored by the union about the 9/11 attacks “seditious.” In 2006, he blasted a book that Baruch College had chosen for its freshman reading, “War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning,” by Chris Hedges, calling it “deeply offensive” and “anti-Semitic.”

    “That’s overstepping one’s role as a trustee,” Dr. Bowen said. “There’s a consistent pattern of vilifying students and particularly faculty whose political views he objects to. He is entitled to his political views, but to use those views to interfere with academic freedom is not acceptable.”

    But Mr. Wiesenfeld indicated Tuesday that he had no intention of resigning, and a number of others questioned the wisdom of trying to force him to do so. “I am proud to represent this great university,” Mr. Wiesenfeld said. The son of Holocaust survivors, he was first appointed a trustee in 1999 by Gov. George E. Pataki; he is serving his second seven-year term, which is to end in 2013.

    Read full article in NY Times


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    19 Comments
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    Different
    Different
    12 years ago

    letters and e-mails of support for Wisenfeld’s courage to speak up and not to pretend to abondon principles in order to appear politically correct should swamp CUNY. Does anyone know the correct or appropriate e-mail address???

    elyeh
    Noble Member
    elyeh
    12 years ago

    There are many political leftists who support the anti-religious and anti-Semitic positions of Tony Kushner who are now trying to insure that they control CUNY. It should not be.

    Liepa
    Liepa
    12 years ago

    Don’t do it Jeff, stay put.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    12 years ago

    I suggested he resign in response to the original article on this vote last weekend. He has no business as a trustee of one of the great universities. I agree with his opinions on EY but that is totally unrlelated to how a trustee should vote on honorary degrees. Good riddance.

    12 years ago

    Jeff you are right. Saying someone should not be honored for an offensive position has nothing to do with freedom of speech.

    eighthcomment
    eighthcomment
    12 years ago

    They are guilty of the exact same action they attribute to Jeff. If Kushner has a right to free speech, so does Jeff. UnfortunatelÝ, many readers here will not do squat for Jeff, even though all it takes is a supportive email or phone call. For shame on this community if the anti Semites of this world are justified but those who defend Israel are not-especially when you can do something about it.

    speakup
    speakup
    12 years ago

    Jeff Wiesenfeld is my hero. What courage it takes to highlight the odious, racist views of a popular writer! Talent should never be confused with morality, as Kushner’s need to bash Israel demonstrates. Jeff Wiesenfeld was not only within his rights, he was OBLIGATED to present a dissenting viewpoint, in the face of Kushner’s hypocrisy and bigoted views towards his own people. How ironic that Kushner mocked and derided Israel for going after the Olympic henchmen and murderers of Munich, but is oddly reticent about the assassination of Bin Laden. Double standard, Mr. Kushner? When is a terrorist not a terrorist?

    Tzi_Bar_David
    Tzi_Bar_David
    12 years ago

    Question, does he speak out as forcefully about CUNY’s abysmal education standards? Does he ever complain about the remedial math and English classes the institution holds for minority applicants that serves to water down the value of a degree from City University and the other CUNY schools? If he does all those things in addition to hunting for anti-Semites, then he is to be applauded, but if this is sole claim to fame as a board member of CUNY then I support his ouster and the ouster of all the rest of them that have presided over the decline of a once GREAT institution into the educational joke it is today.

    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    12 years ago

    What’s a trustee supposed to do if not keep an eye on the institution?

    12 years ago

    Thanks to Israel Klein. Copy and paste an Email to all the people inn post #6 .
    He makes it easy

    Liepa
    Liepa
    12 years ago

    I emailed the following (1):

    To Whom It May Concern:

    Sir / Madam,

    Regarding the honorary degree from CUNY bestowed upon Tony Kushner.

    Whilst it’s at the discretion of CUNY and its Trustees to decide upon whom to bestow an honorary degree it’s also incumbent upon the Trustee’s themselves to determine and weed out an individual who’s not worthy of such an honor.

    Jeff Wiesenfeld, to his credit, did just that, he should be praised for his courage of speaking the truth and defending the honor and reputation of CUNY so as such a lofty honor as CUNY honorary degree not be bestowed upon an individual who in fact might not be worthy of that.

    It’s not for me to say whether Tony Kushner is or isn’t deserving of such an honor but it’s very likely that a CUNY Trustee should speak out, for or against a candidate worthy of such an honor, or otherwise.

    There certainly shouldn’t be a cry for a CUNY Trustee’s resignation when he or she voices their opinion vis a vis a candidate chosen for such an honor.

    Liepa
    Liepa
    12 years ago

    I emailed the following (2):

    In fact, were a candidate to speak out against Arab dictatorships in the Middle East and bemoan the killings of innocent civilians, occurring as I write, as well as so called ‘honor killings’ of girls by their father’s or/and brother’s, as well as terrorism emanating from their midst, their would be a major hue and cry against the worthiness of that person receiving an honorary degree from CUNY.

    In my humble opinion, Jeff Wiesenfeld is a tremendous credit and asset to your great organization.

    Yours Sincerely

    Different
    Different
    12 years ago

    Tweaked what you wrote and came up with
    To Whom It May Concern:

    Sir / Madam,

    Re: Regarding objection of the CUNY honorary degree for Tony Kushner

    The bestowing of an honorary degree by a university and its trustees is a weighty matter and it is incumbent upon the Trustee’s themselves to determine and weed out an individual who has been proposed for and is not worthy of such an honor.

    Trustee Jeff Wiesenfeld, to his credit, did just that. He has shown courage of a true Trustee by speaking the truth and not kowtowing to pressure of so-called political correctness, and has thereby defended the honor and reputation of CUNY.

    To stifle Jeff Wiesenfeld and his stance is the biggest example of stifling free speech and have no place in an institution of higher learning such as CUNY. Calls for his resignation are nothing less than demagoguery intellectual terrorism. To determine whether Tony Kushner does or not deserve such an honor can be open to legitimate debate but let the facts speak for themselves and the fact that he happens to be an author should not color the debate on the facts of who he is, what he has said, and what he represents.

    Different
    Different
    12 years ago

    While Tony Kushner has made his comments about Israel, he seems to have been curiously quiet about the viciousness of the Arab dictatorships in the Middle East, the wholesale killings of innocent civilians, such as that occurring in Egypt, Lybia and Syria, the so called ‘honor killings’ of girls by their fathers or/and brother’s, as well as terrorism targeting civilians.

    The fact is that Jeff Wiesenfeld is a tremendous credit and asset to your great organization.

    Yours sincerely

    [Name] [Street Address] [City, State, Zip]
    See #6 for e-mail addresses

    Liepa
    Liepa
    12 years ago

    Tweaking someone else’s letter is easier than being original, but did you sent it too?
    Otherwise, talk is just simply, cheap.