The Associated Student Government passed a bill titled “Sense of the Senate: A resolution to condemn antisemitism” at its meeting Tuesday evening.
Senator Nick Barry authored the bill out of concern about antisemitic hate. He said he believed it was important for ASG to speak out against it, and it would have a positive impact on Jewish students and faculty on Miami University’s campus.
“ASG unequivocally condemns antisemitism and affirms that all hatred on the basis of religion or ethnicity is unacceptable and inconsistent with the values of the student body,” according to the language of the resolution.
Senator Nick McClure said he supported the bill and thought it was a good idea for ASG, as leaders and representatives of the student body, to give a formal statement against Jewish hate.
“I think it’s really important that ASG … pass this to show Miami that it’s not ok to be supporting [antisemitism] and we need to condemn it and to support tolerance,” McClure said.
Some senators were concerned about how the Sense of the Senate would be received by the university, citing confusion over rhetoric involving conflict in the Middle East.
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Senator Charles Amara said while he understood why the bill was being written, he felt it was unfair that the bill only condemned anti-semitism when ASG was not making the same statements about racism, for example. He said in his own experience at Miami, he has heard jokes about African Americans relying on SNAP benefits and other jokes of a similar nature.
“I don’t think that ASG should just pick one and not address all the others,” Amara said.
Senator Leah Disantis said the intertwining of political arguments with ideas about anti-semitism concerned her. She said she would be in support of the bill, but agreed with Amara that other minority groups should also be a priority. She said she wanted to see another bill that condemns Islamophobia, as well.
Senator Barry clarified that ASG has condemned racism on three separate occasions since 2020. Additionally, ASG has condemned Asian-American hate during COVID-19, when discrimination against Asian-Americans was on the rise. He said he sees this Sense of the Senate as being consistent with past governing.
Additionally, Senator Nicholas Rentschler said he was concerned with what the Sense of the Senate meant for ASG and for Miami moving forward. A Sense of the Senate is meant to be a statement or opinion by ASG that does not necessarily require actionable steps.
Secretary Ryan Jeansonne said he was comfortable with the legislation and said if the senate agreed with it, there is potential for initiatives that could be born out of the discussion. He said ASG has created initiatives for minority groups on campus before. Last year, at QT con, a queer-trans conference, ASG passed out safety materials to students who participated. Jeansonne suggested ASG could work with Jewish students on campus to provide them with resources if they experience anti-semetic hate.
ASG voted to pass the Sense of the Senate, and will meet again on Tuesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. in the Joslin Senate Chambers.
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