PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kayla Aaron, Delegate of CUNY University Student Senate
3:29:49
·
120 sec
Kayla Aaron, a delegate of the CUNY University Student Senate, testifies about ongoing issues of antisemitism at CUNY campuses, particularly at Baruch College. She emphasizes the need for more effective measures to address discrimination against Jewish students and criticizes the current systems in place for handling such incidents.
- Aaron shares personal experiences of antisemitism, including a professor's inappropriate comment and unaddressed complaints filed after October 7th, 2023.
- She highlights concerns about student organizations using university-funded platforms to spread antisemitic content and support for Hamas.
- Aaron describes a protest against Hillel and Jewish students at Baruch, where participants allegedly called for violence against Jewish students.
Kayla Aaron
3:29:49
Thank you, chairman Dinowitz and members of the committee.
3:29:51
I am inspired and impressed by your knowledge and care for the issue.
3:29:55
Thank you to the governor for commissioning this report and judge Lippmann for writing it.
3:29:59
I applaud the chancellor and his office
Eric Dinowitz
3:30:01
and Kayla, can you state your name can
Kayla Aaron
3:30:04
you state your name for the record?
3:30:06
Yeah.
3:30:06
Kayla Aaron.
3:30:07
Thank you.
3:30:08
I applaud the chancellor in his office as well as Baruch administration for taking initial steps to look out for Jewish students and suspend certain clubs on campus.
3:30:15
However, it's not proven to be enough.
3:30:17
My name is Kayla Aaron.
3:30:18
I'm a delegate in the CUNY University Student Senate representing Baruch and over 230 1,000 CUNY students.
3:30:24
I am the only student on the chancellor's advisory council on Jewish life, and I've worked tirelessly over the past 4 years to make the campus environment more welcoming to Jewish students.
3:30:33
Believe me when I say that this report was overdue.
3:30:36
Antisemitism has been an issue on campus for many years before the atrocities of October 7th and the increased hatred that we as students Jewish students faced after, I had a professor say to me in front of the whole class, I knew you controlled the world, after I helped him put the projector screen back into place.
3:30:53
The current discrimination filing systems were not even in place at the time of this incident, and still complaints filed on October 8, 2023 have not been answered by the appropriate Baruch campus offices.
3:31:04
I've seen many Instagram accounts for different school clubs, even sanctioned ones, that receive student activity themed money post anti semitic flyers and praises for Hamas.
3:31:13
The university system's digital space is a dangerous no man's land without responsibility or punishment.
3:31:19
It's abhorrent to me that I am forced to fund through my tuition the very organizations that are calling for the murder of my Jewish brothers and sisters.
3:31:26
This attitude directly impacts our campus environment where students let a protest against Hillel and Jewish students on the Baruch Plaza.
3:31:33
Blocking the doors to the Newman vertical campus and the library building, these students called for violence against Jewish students.
3:31:39
Regarding the welcoming dinner, I personally confirmed the identities of 2 students to the Dean of Students, Art King, after they posted on their own social medias that they had attended this rally.
