Comments on: Curbed academic freedom spells cataclysm for Israel

By: Michael Davison

Michael Davison — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:31:19 +0000

I can only say that my elder daughter transferred from BGU (NOT from the Poli-Sci Department) because the teachers had political messages, even in the Accounting/Business Management Department. If you disagreed with the teacher's opinions, your grades suffered. This was in 2007.
BGU has a history of students faced with teacher coercion, "agree with my political message or fail", and "disagree with me at your peril"– gross abuses of professorial misconduct. When a student has to conform to his/her teacher's political opinions in order to get good grades, the practices of the entire university need to be reviewed.

By: Ari Lieberman

Ari Lieberman — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 04:51:23 +0000

I don't know what's uglier, Chazan's putrid face or the rancid drivel she spews.

By: Loren Griffith

Loren Griffith — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:53:14 +0000

Jon Garfunkel – the US government doesn't supply anywhere near as much funding for US universities as Israel does.

Over 75% of the funding for our universities comes from the government – in the US over 75% comes from tutition.

By: Pinchas Baram

Pinchas Baram — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:07:15 +0000

Lots of hifalutin special pleading and verbal fog by the meretz queen herself. The stables at BGU's political science stink, everyone knows it, but in the name of absolute academic freedom Naomi sanctimoniously says, ne touche pas. Sorry, Miss peace now war later, Israelis are not THAT stupid. God willing, they will fight you and Pres. Rivka Carmi and BGU's entrenched bureaucrats and ideologues, and they will OVERCOME and clean up BGU which has become a LAUGHINGSTOCK among serious intellectuals and academics– besides being an anti-Zionist and post-Zionist hellhole too long funded by the Israeli taxpayer.

By: John Hill

John Hill — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:34:30 +0000

Naomi Chazan emerges from her coffin once again. Be careful…she bites!

By: John Hill

John Hill — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:34:30 +0000

Naomi Chazan emerges from her coffin once again. Be careful…she bites!

By: Herbert Kaine

Herbert Kaine — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:36:38 +0000

This headline is misleading. The only reason the government reviews the universities is because the government funds the universities. Ben Gurion "university" is a hotbed of anti-Israel activism. Since the government funds Ben Gurion, it is entitled to see what it is obtaining for its money. If Ben Gurion is serious about academic freedom, let it seek funds elsewhere than the government that it has proclaimed as its enemy. If I were Ahmadinejad or the Muslim Brotherhood, I would step up and fund Ben Gurion University.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:49:45 +0000

Jon Garfunkel Tuition in Israel is approximately $2500/year because the Universities are heavily subsidized by the government. Israeli students are therefore not saddled with debt and the cost of tuition does not keep people from studying (unlike the US). The department in question was found to be a waste of taxpayers money. Why keep financing it?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:20:21 +0000

Sorry Ms. Chazan you can't claim to be championing academic excellence and simultaneously champion Ben Gurion's poli-sci department.

The issue here is not about academic freedom, quite contrary to what you claim, it is about academic excellence and academic standards. Both of which Ben Gurion's poli-sci department fail abysmally. Somethings can't be fixed as is the situation here, where it is the faculty itself which is the problem, so should be closed down, and it is something that should have been done years ago.

By: Jon Garfunkel

Jon Garfunkel — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:07:55 +0000

Really — does the government close University departments here in the United States?

By: Tuvia Fogel

Tuvia Fogel — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:28:32 +0000

This Zion-hating old crone's face makes me RUN to donate more money to Im Tirtzu every time I see it!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:13:48 +0000

Oh pulease. It got terrible reviews by an outside committee. Also why should the state pay the salaries of people whose main goal is to undermine the state? Let these "professors" quit and work in a private college.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:13:48 +0000

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:13:48 +0000

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:13:48 +0000