Professors Are Caught in Campus Divide
Tensions grow inside universities across the country as students denounce the war in Gaza, while others feel targeted by a rise in antisemitism. Campuses such as Columbia University and the University of Southern California may be making national headlines, but community colleges are being impacted as well.
Santa Monica College (SMC) is no exception, and professors on campus are having to navigate the debate and sort through their own beliefs while maintaining a sense of normalcy in the classroom.
Faculty at SMC are hesitant to speak out, and many declined to comment on the matter, wanting to appear neutral so their classes may remain a safe place for students on both sides. However, neutrality does not stop recent events from becoming a conversation inside the classroom.
Trisden Shaw, SMC professor of ethnic studies who is in his first year as a full-time faculty member, finds the topic of student advocacy, specifically with the pro-Palestinine movement on campus, to be a very relevant topic.
Each semester, Shaw has his students sign a community agreement, which he alters regularly based on student feedback. The agreement helps students effectively and safely have critical conversations within the classroom, and Shaw shared that he believes SMC as a whole could benefit from a campus-wide agreement.
Shaw has watched as his students take on activist roles themselves, a role he had once held during the rise of Black Lives Matter. One student in his class, who is a part of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SPJ) club on campus, organized a walk-out in support of a ceasefire in Gaza during Shaw’s class on Thursday, May 9.
His entire class walked out, making their way through the campus, and Shaw took it upon himself to be a legal observer, staying within earshot in order to make sure the students were safe.
Despite once being a student activist himself, Shaw believes his opinion is not relevant within the conversations between his students. Rather, the ethnic studies professor wants to foster critical thinking among his students and guide them in constructive debates rooted in open-mindedness and respect.
Ethnic studies professor Elias Serna has faced backlash on a “Mothers Against Campus Antisemitism” group on Facebook for allegedly “indoctrinating” students through mandatory assignments. The discussion board, posted on March 10, shared a screenshot of an assignment that read, “What are your thoughts on the ongoing destruction and genocide by Israel in Palestine?”
Those in the Facebook group were encouraging members to email the SMC administration to demand Serna be held accountable.
Donald Girard, Senior Director of Government Relations and Institutional Communications, confirmed that, as of Monday, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into SMC’s response under Title VI to reports of an ethnic studies professor harassing students, specifically those of Jewish ancestry.
Shaw explained that no one is without bias, which is why he first introduces himself and his own background before beginning each semester. “How I'm going to present you this information is going to be objective, but who I am is going to influence the ways that I frame these different things,” he said. “So I want you to be aware of this ahead of time so you don't feel like I'm indoctrinating you or anything like this. This is just how I view the world, and this is how I see things.”
At the beginning of each semester, Shaw’s class discusses the different types of colonialism, and Israel being a colonial state naturally comes up in the lesson plan. However, in the past year, the conversation surrounding Israel and Gaza has changed.
“It was so interesting to me last semester how that became more divisive and more explosive than it ever had been,” said Shaw. “But I think it's important because it’s history.”
Professors lecturing on ethnic studies are not the only faculty navigating the divide on campus. Deborah Novak, a long-time professor of nutrition at SMC, has also been affected by the rise in tension despite her subject being a far cry from advocacy.
As a Jewish faculty member and president of a Santa Monica temple, Novak has encountered the subject of the war in Gaza not only within her class but also with other faculty members.
Novak was approached by a coworker at the beginning of March about joining an on-campus organization for SMC faculty and staff called the Jewish Affinity Group (JAG). Through JAG, Novak said she has made new connections with other Jewish faculty and learned their perspectives.
Novak has students from all over the world. Inside her room, she said there has been “a little bit of conversation” about current events, and has made sure to check in with a student from Israel, ensuring he and his family are doing well.
“I try and avoid controversial issues,” Novak said. “I do a lot of work at building community, and I hope that very indirectly, that has an effect of having more respect and appreciation for people from other backgrounds.”
Both Shaw and Novak attended the May 14 opposing rallies at the quad on the main campus. The grass was divided by metal fences into three sections: pro-Israel, a neutral zone, and pro-Palestine. Shaw stood back and observed the Palestinian side alongside other professors, and Novak was on the Israel side alongside other JAG faculty members.
“While I was there, it was very peaceful,” Novak said in a statement following the event. “On one side, there was a celebration for Jewish Independence Day with music, dancing, and a couple prayers for the hostages and the Israeli soldiers.”
Novak went on to share that she thought it was nice that the SJP side of the quad had an open-mic set up for students to share their experiences but was incredibly sad when one person, who appeared to her to be an organizer, “immediately called for the destruction of Israel.”
Comments like these are what worries Novak and makes her and other JAG members question the intentions of activist organizations like SJP. She said there are concerns from some faculty that SJP may have antisemitic intentions of “getting Jewish faculty and staff out.”
In regards to the rise of antisemitism on campus, Shaw stated he had not witnessed it himself nor heard stories from students, but said, “I know both antisemitism and Islamophobia have been on the rise on college campuses and throughout the country. And again, when things are as divisive as they are, it makes sense, right?”
Amidst the rallies, walk-outs, and debates on campus, there has been a noticeable silence from SMC’s administration.
In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights announced an investigation into an incident related to an Associated Students’ Inter-Club Council meeting that occurred at SMC and allegedly involved antisemitism. After releasing a statement saying they stood “against all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism” and would cooperate in the investigation, the administration has remained quiet. Jeffery’s team has not responded to The Corsair’s request for a comment.
Novak shared that JAG encouraged SMC president Kathryn E. Jeffery regarding “putting out a position statement” addressing concerns of antisemitism on campus, but there has been no movement from the president.
While Shaw understands why the administration would want to remain impartial, he said it is not the approach he would choose to take. “If the college were to do something, I would hope that they would construct spaces where we can have real dialogue around not only this issue but a variety of different issues. I think that is why maybe silence may not be the best,” Shaw said.
While the administration has avoided addressing the events on campus, for professors and faculty, keeping their distance is not possible when interacting with these passionate students daily.
As the spring semester draws to a close, the question of how these final weeks in the midst of student activism will go remains. However, both Novak and Shaw believe that Tuesday’s rallies may not be the last for the school year.
At the end of the day, to Shaw, what’s most important when navigating tensions among students is being available for them. He said, “You want to make sure every student feels safe and every student feels heard, and I think that is my north star, and that’s what leads me through.”
