The University of Massachusetts Amherst has barred an academic group that plans to hold a conference later this fall on its campus from excluding scholars who receive funding from Israeli institutions.
The Coalition of Women in German, an organization based at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, is scheduled to hold the conference at UMass Amherst from Nov. 6-9. One of its conditions was to boycott Israel. Another was that only members of the organization were allowed to attend.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law asked the university via a letter on Sept. 3 to suspend the group’s boycott policy for the conference.
Emily Gest, associate vice chancellor for news and media relations at UMass Amherst, told JNS that upon learning about the organization’s boycott policy, “the university initiated a comprehensive legal and policy review” and found that it was “exclusionary.”
“No academic event should, by design or effect, be exclusionary in nature, and the university will not sponsor an event that violates its policies,” she said.
Gest disclosed that the Coalition of Women in German told the university, in writing, that the boycott policy will be suspended for the upcoming conference, as well as for another one in the works for 2026. Membership will also not be required to attend, she said.
“The university continues to welcome all who endeavor to freely participate in the open marketplace of ideas,” said the university spokesperson. “Consistent adherence to our principles means oftentimes hosting conferences and speakers with whose views some in our community may disagree.”
The website for the conference states that “there are no restrictions on sources of funding for participation in the conference.”
Kenneth L. Marcus, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center and a former U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights, stated that “UMass affirming that BDS violates its anti-discrimination policies is an important precedent that other universities must follow.”
“Other universities should follow suit and ensure that organizations with BDS policies disavow that policy’s application prior to any activity on or with that university,” he said. “University anti-discrimination policies were created for a reason, and outside conferences or events cannot circumvent these protections.”
