Future of boycott resolution unclear, two discrimination complaints resolved

By James Cancelarich     9/10/24 11:55pm

Rice’s anti-discrimination office has concluded that the Student Association’s proposed boycott and divestment resolution did not violate their policies. It is unclear whether S.RES 02 will be reintroduced at the SA this semester.

Any further action on the resolution could result in subsequent investigations into the resolution, said SA president Jae Kim.

“If we were to vote on it and pass it, that is another actionable thing that the Senate has done that could be subject to its own discrimination investigation,” Kim said. “There’s no clear path … I haven’t talked with the authors of S.RES 02, but it’s not up to us just to bring it back, and I’m not sure what they want to do with that.”

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The authors of S.RES 02 did not respond to a request to comment.

S.RES 02 would have implemented an “ethical spending advisory board” to track blanket tax spending and adherence to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. In response to its introduction, a student filed a discrimination complaint March 27. As Office of Access, Equity, and Equal Opportunity director Richard Baker investigated the complaint, he ordered the authors of S.RES 02 to halt further discussion. 

A second discrimination complaint also has been resolved, this one filed against Matti Haacke, an organizer with Rice Students for Justice in Palestine. The AEEO did not find Haacke or SJP to be in violation of anti-discrimination policies. According to Haacke, the complaint involved posters and chants used by SJP at campus demonstrations and protests. Haacke believes that the reports were politically motivated, he said.

“There’s specific individuals who are trying to weaponize these complaints against SJP,” Haacke said.

Chris Stipes, Rice’s executive director of news and media relations, stated that the university does not publicly comment on specific investigations, especially regarding students.

“In all situations, our nondiscrimination office strives to be responsive, fair and thorough when it reviews allegations brought to its attention,” Stipes wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We encourage anyone who believes they or others have experienced discrimination or misconduct to contact the Office of Access, Equity, and Equal Opportunity.”

One more internal investigation into SJP is still ongoing in response to a complaint filed through the AEEO on July 2, according to Haacke.

Haacke said that the current complaint against SJP echoes the same claims as the previous complaint against him that was resolved. The nature of the complaint and the specifics of the allegations are unclear. 

Richard Baker, director of the AEEO, declined to comment.

Haacke alleges that both of the now-resolved complaint investigations were drawn out excessively as a point of leverage against SJP.

“The apparatus of the institution was trying to find a reason and drag out these complaints and … they were unable to do so, and ultimately found no evidence, because these allegations are, at a basis, frivolous,” Haacke said.

In response to the tabling of S.RES 02, Rice SJP said it partnered with the Muslim Legal Fund of America to file a Title VI discrimination complaint against the university.

“The complaint is on behalf of Muslim and Jewish students of Rice who were prohibited from voting on the BDS resolution due to discriminatory and targeted suppression,” Rice SJP wrote in a Sept. 4 Instagram post.

“With the university completing its investigation, that’s great. That’s what they’re supposed to do,” said Christina Jump, MLFA’s civil litigation department head. “However, the actions of the university still require investigation … [and] why they were chilling speech of any kind.”

SJP also recently hosted a “People’s [Orientation]-Week,” which Haacke said was meant to introduce new students to campus activism and the Palestinian liberation movement. As part of the event, SJP returned to the previous “liberated zone” and declared it “Refaat Alareer Square,” named after the Palestinian poet and scholar who was killed in Gaza last year. Haacke said that he hopes the space will become a place for community and connection.

“We’re not going to let some complaints harness our protest, harness our advocacy,” Haacke said.

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