On February 20th the Minnesota Republic hosted a conversation surrounding anti-semitism at the University of Minnesota. The panel included Richard Painter, Micheal Hsu, and Marian Rourke. Painter is a University of Minnesota Law professor and former White House ethics lawyer. Hsu is a former member of the University of Minnesota’s Board Of Regents, while Marian Rourke is a Minnesota State Representative.
The event was graciously moderated by Constitutional Lawyer, James Dickey.
The Q & A began with a question regarding the filling of the lawsuit and was answered first by Professor Painter:
James Dickey (Constitutional Lawyer):
On December 12, 2023, Professor Painter, you and Regent Hsu asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate these concerns at the University of Minnesota. And thereafter, on January 16, 2024, the department did in fact initiate an investigation which was front page news in the Star Tribune. So Professor Painter and Regent Hsu, can you talk about what led to the filing of that complaint and what you are asking the university to do?
Richard Painter (University of Minnesota Law Professor):
This complaint is principally about the websites. Although this fits into a culture of anti-Semitism at this university and many other universities around the country that goes well beyond these particular websites. But we’ve asked the Department of Education to focus first on these websites. And the concept is very simple, and I used to talk about this when I was in the White House, about the difference between official capacity and personal capacity. A United States government employee cannot, in their official capacity, advocate for a political party. The same thing here at the University of Minnesota.
I cannot advocate for the Republican Party or for the Democratic Party. I can’t put a DFL or a Republican sign in the window of my office and use that as a campaign stop. The bottom line is, if you are a professor here in your own front yard, you can have a DFL yard sign, a Republican yard sign, and if you want a Hamas yard sign, that’s just fine. But don’t bring it here on the websites, official websites paid for by the Minnesota taxpayer that our students have to consult in order to find out what the requirements are for graduation. Furthermore, these websites include what course availability is, and contact information for professors.
These posts send a very clear message. No Jews are welcome here, unless you are one of the few who is willing to say that the state of Israel has no right to exist. This is not about whether Israel is responding in an appropriate manner or not. It is not about all the different debates we can have about what’s going on in Gaza, just as we had debates after 9-11 here in the United States. However, imagine if after 9-11 someone had taken a university website and said that Osama bin Laden was a hero and that America had no right to exist. That’s what these professors are doing with your taxpayer dollars, and we have created an environment that is unacceptable and intimidating for Jewish students. It’s a violation of Title VI, and therefore we’ve asked the Department of Education to investigate.
James Dickey (Constitutional Lawyer):
Thanks Richard, and thanks for having me here tonight. I would just add to that in my view I was disappointed when the university declined to do anything, or I believe even respond to us. I also said to the current chair of the board that there is plenty in the Regents Code of Conduct that they could use to resolve these issues.
The Minnesota Republic will continue to update on the lawsuit offering information on the Minnesota Republic webpage. A full recording of the event including more responses to this question is available via Facebook.
