Cal Poly was silent on Hamas attack. Then it spoke up and made things worse | Opinion

Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong may have believed he was playing it safe in his reluctant, initial statement on the brutal attacks on Israel — which itself was an answer to the university being called out for not responding sooner.

But in the process, the president of the San Luis Obispo university inadvertently made a bad situation worse by piling a poorly worded explanation on top of what many — particularly the local Jewish community — felt was a missed leadership opportunity.

“Our practice at Cal Poly is not to comment on current national and world events that do not directly impact a critical mass of our students and employees,” the statement said. “... Our silence regarding these events should not be taken as a position that we don’t care, but that we reserve our public responses for those things that we can control or influence.”

Ironically, the President’s Office was better off when it was silent, because when it did explain the lack of a response, the result came across as isolationist and callous.

The “critical mass” reference was especially cringey.

Acts of terrorism on such a large scale can — and should — affect us all, no matter our culture or ethnicity or political beliefs. In events like this, we should all be part of the “critical mass” who cares.

When acts of barbarism stop affecting us — when we just shrug our shoulders and move on with our day because there’s nothing we can do — is when we need to worry. That’s a sign that we’re losing our sense of shared humanity.

The power of solidarity

As for assuming that Cal Poly has no “control or influence” over events such as this, we know what President Armstrong meant, but it’s still wrong.

He is forgetting that there is power in solidarity, which is why the city of Fresno raised the Israeli flag; why hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles; why members of San Luis Obispo’s Jewish community marched through Farmers Market on Thursday night and were greeted with shouts of support.

He is neglecting to realize that institutions of higher learning have the power to influence not just members of their campus, but also broader communities, such as San Luis Obispo.

They can be beacons of light in dark times, when they use that platform wisely and effectively, to offer comfort in times of crisis without inflicting additional pain.

That can be a perilously tight needle to thread.

To his credit, Armstrong did issue an apology after the fact, along with condemning a hate crime the university said was committed by someone who yelled “Death to Israel” at two Jewish students on campus on Sunday.

“On Thursday I sent you a message that was meant to reassure, but it failed badly in that effort,” he said in a note to the campus community. “I know that many of you are in pain because of the horrific loss of innocent lives in Israel, as well as Gaza, and I am so sorry to have added to your burden in any way.

“My message did not address the issues, the humanity, and I sincerely apologize for the hurt that I know it caused many of you — especially those in our Jewish and other communities.”

Unfortunately, an apology doesn’t automatically erase what was done.

Cal Poly should rethink its isolationist policy

Cal Poly isn’t the only university to face criticism for its response — or lack of response — to the attacks on Israel.

That was particularly the case on campuses where students advocating for Palestinian liberation voiced support for Hamas. At Harvard, for example, pro-Palestinian students signed a statement saying they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”

Harvard President Claudine Gay eventually released this statement: “As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetuated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.”

It’s understandable that a university would want to stay far away from controversy, but it is possible to condemn Hamas for its aggression while also expressing support and concern for the many innocents in Gaza who are also victims of war.

A Cal Poly religious studies professor, Stephen Lloyd-Moffett, accomplished that quite well in a viewpoint he wrote for The Tribune.

“The events of this past weekend are not complicated. Hamas’ actions deserve widespread and unequivocal condemnation, especially by supporters of the Palestinians,” he wrote.

“Hamas hopes the world will quickly forget the atrocities that have occurred this past weekend and pivot to the past or criticize the inevitable future response. But moving straight to analysis only dehumanizes the toll of the conflict. Thousands of innocent deaths — on both sides — should not be swept under the rug, or allowed to be a pretense for re-adjudicating the conflict with ‘rational and just discussions.”

We know President Armstrong to be a compassionate and thoughtful man, but in this case, his timid approach was disappointing.

The university should immediately rethink its policy to refuse to comment on national and world events unless they affect a “critical mass” of students and staff.

On second thought, don’t just reconsider the policy. Abandon it.

This story was originally published October 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Cal Poly was silent on Hamas attack. Then it spoke up and made things worse | Opinion."