On Oct. 8, Carleton University decided to “indefinitely postpone” an exhibition about the destruction of educational institutions in Palestine, citing safety concerns.
The Silenced by Scholasticide event was intended to shed light on the destruction of universities and educational archives in Palestine, while honouring the memories of Palestinian scholars who have been killed during the ongoing conflict.
The exhibition was originally scheduled to be held at MacOdrum Library on Oct. 18. The Silenced by Scholasticide exhibition is now held in The Wing located in the Nideyinàn building. The exhibition will run until Oct. 30.
In a statement to The Charlatan on Oct. 17, Abby McIntyre, acting director of communications at Carleton, explained that the exhibition was still moving forward, but had been relocated to Nideyinàn.
After the event was cancelled in the library, Nir Hagigi, president of Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Carleton, turned to the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) to allow the exhibition to go up in The Wing.
Hagigi said the event has been in the works for months. IJV Carleton, the Carleton 4 Palestine coalition and several professors and scholars organized the exhibition, which has been sponsored by IJV Canada.
“This was originally something I was doing for myself and it became this … national thing,” said Hagigi, who designed the exhibition.
From the beginning, Hagigi said there were concerns of censorship from university librarian Amber Lannon, who suggested several changes to the language used on the posters in the exhibition.
Hagigi alleged Lannon suggested replacing the phrase “murdered by Israel” with “killed” or “died.” Hagigi said Lannon cited concerns of aggression against university staff if the exhibition used certain words and phrases.
Despite repeated requests, Lannon referred to the university for comment.
Hagigi said that as an educational institution, Carleton needs to create more space for conversations around the Israel-Palestine conflict and addressing Palestinian issues. He added that even if exhibitions risk heightening tensions, they should still be displayed to educate and spread awareness.
“This is literally what a university is about,” Hagigi said. “The exhibition that will generate debate can’t go forward.”
The Charlatan obtained a copy of the postponement notice sent to IJV Carleton by Pauline Rankin, the university provost and vice-president academic. After the Office of Risk Management completed a risk and safety assessment, they recommended the library “suspend any exhibit that has the potential to contribute to a heightened risk for conflict and violence on campus.”
The notice gave several reasons for the exhibition’s postponement, including a “dramatic increase in calls for [Campus Safety] service and incidences of mischief, vandalism and trespassing across campus related to geopolitical issues.”
In addition, Rankin’s email stated that “controversial exhibits” have the potential to create an unsafe environment for the Carleton community. It added some library staff may not be equipped to handle any aggressive behaviour the exhibit may incite.
“Less experienced staff may not have the necessary skills to de-escalate or respond to aggressive or unpredictable behaviour in the workplace that an exhibit may incite,” the notice reads.
Azar Masoumi, an associate professor in the department of sociology and anthropology, noted that several Palestinian-related events in the past year have been either postponed or cancelled by the administration.
“From [my] perspective, it is a little bit questionable as to how those decisions are made and how the risk assessment office decides when things happen and where,” Masoumi said.
She said she’s noticed that risk assessments, heightened security and additional administrative measures are particularly prevalent when it’s a Palestinian-related event.
“No other topic or event experiences the same level of obstacles,” Masoumi said. “In my five years of being here, it’s only when you’re talking about Palestine.”
“This is the one topic that is treated so exceptionally and so differently.”
With Canada’s large Arab, Muslim and Palestinian population, educational institutions like Carleton have an “academic responsibility” to acknowledge that other universities are being destroyed, especially in Gaza, Masoumi said.
Masoumi said that professors have a role to play in helping Carleton students create spaces where “critical conversation” can happen without fears of censorship from the administration, including restrictions on booking campus spaces for events.
“Unfortunately, students are not awarded the same level of academic freedom and expression [as] professors,” Masoumi said. “The university hesitates to take spaces away from professors in a way that sadly they don’t with students.”
Artur Estrela da Silva, CUSA’s vice-president of student issues said it was important to allow Carleton students to voice their concerns about issues in a safe space, regardless of whether or not the administration agrees.
“Students should be allowed to express themselves, to express their beliefs,” Estrela da Silva said. “We are here to lift these voices as much as we can and give them the opportunity to properly host their [event].”
Estrela da Silva said that he hopes the university administration can work more collaboratively with Palestinian groups on campus and recognize the importance of student advocacy.
“The key thing would be to have the university enable students to present their perspectives,” Estrela da Silva said. “I think the university should always strive to give students the opportunity to express their views.”
Featured Image by Sadeen Mohsen/The Charlatan.
