Red card for anti-Semitism, racism & co  [23.02.24]

Anti-Semitic incidents at Berlin universities have shocked the country. How would the University of Hohenheim react in similar cases? And what action can be taken against racism, sexual harassment or bullying in the lecture hall? A coffee with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Korinna Huber.

 

Background:

Two recent incidents at Berlin universities shed light on anti-Semitic tendencies at German universities:

• At a discussion event at Humboldt University, students booed down an Israeli judge, so that the event had to be broken off and the judge had to be escorted out of the hall
• A Jewish student at the FU Berlin was allegedly beaten up in the street by a pro-Palestinian fellow student, leaving him hospitalized

The universities responded with temporary bans. However, Jewish students do not feel sufficiently protected by this.

Interview

Dr. Huber, what runs through your mind when you read the media reports about the anti-Semitic incidents in Berlin?

I am angry and concerned.

Universities are places of peaceful but open and critical exchange. Science thrives on diversity, different positions and constructive discussion. Only the better argument counts. Violence and intimidation of any kind have no place on a campus.

To avoid any misunderstandings: It is legitimate to take a position - even a one-sided one - on political events. For example, you can criticize Israel's policies. However, anyone who disputes Israel's right to exist is outside our legal system.

But we must not allow criticism to turn into hatred. Our history obliges us to do so, as does our self-conception as a university. What happened in Berlin is therefore completely unacceptable and must alarm us all.

Apparently, these incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. Jewish students in Berlin also report receiving threatening emails and harassment on campus. Some no longer dare to go to university. Are you aware of anything similar in Hohenheim?

What you describe is terrible. We have just launched an internal university survey on this. So far, there have been no reports of anti-Semitic incidents in Hohenheim. But we certainly can't sit back and relax.

In my opinion, the incidents in Berlin are representative of the increasing brutalization of our society as a whole, which does not stop at universities. During my many years in office as Vice-Rector, I unfortunately had to experience this all too often.

Intimidating emails, racist remarks of all kinds, bullying in the lecture hall, sexual harassment: All of this happens every now and then on our campus. These are still isolated incidents, but we should remain vigilant.

It is therefore more important than ever that we as a university take a clear stance. We must stand by our values and, if necessary, take action.

In addition to the incidents themselves, the mild reaction of the universities also caused discussion in Berlin. Would the University of Hohenheim do more in comparable cases than impose a 3-month ban?

I would need to know the background in more detail, but I suspect so. University law in Baden-Württemberg definitely gives us more options - up to and including exmatriculation. Any reaction must follow the procedural principles of the rule of law.

But it's not just the legal framework that's important. We also need well-established procedures so that we can react quickly, consistently and with legal certainty in the event of incidents. At the University of Hohenheim, we created the conditions for this last year.

In the event of serious misconduct by students, a newly established Disciplinary Committee can now be consulted. It has far-reaching powers, can act autonomously and impose disciplinary measures. Depending on the severity of the incident, these range from warnings to exclusion from individual courses or a temporary ban from the building to expulsion.

Of course, no one will be exmatriculated immediately because of a thoughtless remark. It is also clear that both sides must be heard and the background carefully examined. But we are not putting anything off and we are serious.

What is the composition of the new Disciplinary Committee?

The committee is chaired by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Equal Opportunities Officer is also represented by virtue of office. In addition, the Senate appoints one member each from the group of professors, academic staff, doctoral candidates and students.

The committee has only just been set up and has not yet been in action yet. Before the committee was set up, bylaws were drawn up and procedures established so that we can act quickly in the event of an emergency.

We now want to use the incidents in Berlin as a kind of first "trial run" to run through in the committee how the University of Hohenheim would deal with comparable cases. As is so often the case, the devil is in the detail.

Can you explain that?

The legal situation in the case of the discussion event with the Israeli judge seems relatively clear to me. If students disrupt the course of a university event or university operations on campus in general, be it through physical violence, threats or other blockades, we can impose the aforementioned disciplinary measures.

The assault on the Jewish student is more complicated under university law because it was committed off campus. In my opinion, exmatriculation in such a case would probably only be possible after a legally binding conviction, but the individual case would then have to be examined. However, we can always issue a temporary ban, even several times if necessary. And we can use this time to prepare further steps.

At this point, I would like to remind our lecturers that they can also make use of their domiciliary rights in their courses. If students become abusive and severely disrupt teaching, teaching staff can expel them from the lecture hall immediately. No prior consultation is necessary. We don't have to put up with everything - and we definitely won't!

What about incidents in the halls of residence?

This is a relevant question, as we have received several reports of various types of assaults in this environment over the years. International students in particular, who know little about the local culture and applicable laws, can become victims more easily. That is why they deserve our special protection.

In terms of university law, however, the halls of residence are another special case. This is because they do not belong to the university, but are managed by the Studierendenwerk. This means that the Disciplinary Committee cannot order the termination of tenancy or similar. However, it can still deal with these cases and on this basis the university management can then hold direct negotiations with the Studierendenwerk.

Of course, you can always contact the Studierendenwerk directly with any complaints.

How can I contact the Disciplinary Committee? And in which cases should I do so?

All members of the University can contact the committee directly by email if students at the University of Hohenheim have been abusive towards other members of the University or are causing massive disruption to University operations. We have set up a new functional e-mail address for this purpose: ordnungsausschuss@uni-hohenheim.de

These messages can only be read by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. They will then initiate the next steps. All e-mails are treated confidentially. Anonymous reports to the Disciplinary Committee are possible, but an official procedure can only be started if members of the university are willing to speak to the committee about the case.

It is important to emphasize: In general, problems of an interpersonal nature, regardless of their content, should first be resolved directly among yourselves. Try to talk about it and create understanding for each other!

In cases that cannot be resolved directly, it is still advisable to contact the regular contact points first. They can provide individual advice and also help with the decision as to whether the case in question should be reported to the Disciplinary Committee.

The committee complements our existing broad network of contact persons and advice centers. It only deals with serious cases and is, so to speak, our last resort in cases of student misconduct.

In terms of misconduct by employees, the committee is not responsible. These are prosecuted in accordance with civil service law. There are already established procedures for this. Points of contact include the HR department and the Staff Council.

There are a number of contact points at the university, but probably not all university members are aware of them. And sometimes it can be difficult to find your way through this "maze"...

You raise an important point that we want to address as part of our diversity audit "Diversity-friendly university". Until the next re-audit, we want to create a better overview of all the advice services on the homepage. The contact points, including the new disciplinary committee, should also be introduced more effectively through communication measures.

I would like to give you a brief overview at this point:

All students and academic staff are in the best hands at the Equal Opportunities Office/Gender Equality Office - regardless of whether the issue is discrimination, racism or sexual harassment. Non-academic employees can contact the Equal Opportunities Officer. There is also a complaints office for discrimination in the HR Department.

Low-threshold contact points from students for students are the AStA, the student councils and the anonymous hotline "Nightline Hohenheim". If you are looking for psychological counseling, you can contact the ZSB or the psychotherapeutic counseling service of the Studierendenwerk.

Additionally, for our international students and employees, the International Office is an important first point of contact for problems of all kinds.

Your concerns will always be treated confidentially. So please do not be afraid to seek support if you experience violence, intimidation, discrimination, racism or sexual harassment on campus. The university is with you!

Thank you very much for the interview! We will report again.

Interview: Leonhardmair