UNC shared the resolution of the complaint filed to the Department of Education over the university’s spending on a March conference that featured an anti-Semitic musical performance on Monday.
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights examined the university’s spending on a three-day conference about the Middle East after controversy arose following a musical act, but ultimately UNC does not discriminate against Jewish students and properly responded to the discovery of the performance’s anti-Semitism.
Rapper Tafer Nafar performed one night of the Conflict Over Gaza: People, Politics and Possibilities conference held in March on UNC’s campus. The conference, which was sponsored by the UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies and the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, came under fire after a video surfaced of Nafar making anti-Semitic comments during his songs. The events were viewed even more critically because the video surfaced just days after anti-Semitic flyers were found in Davis Library.
As part of the resolution, UNC will have review its policy training module and hold two listening sessions so students, faculty and staff can share concerns about harassment directly with administrators.
In a message to the campus community announcing the resolution of the complaint, UNC Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said he reaffirmed the university’s commitment to creating a place where all members of the community can be free of discrimination and harassment.
“University policies exist to help support an inclusive and welcoming campus,” he said. “We’re counting on every member of the community to uphold these policies to ensure everyone has an opportunity to learn, work and thrive at the University.”
The first of UNC’s listening sessions will be in the spring semester, with a second following in the 2020-2021 school year.
