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The Dean Walker “Jewish” Emails |
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This
file contains a separate chain of emails involving Dean Kim Walker. |
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Introduction |
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The Indiana University Dean responsible for discrimination
issues assured that |
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Dean Kim Walker was eager to intervene when she was
allowed to presume that the victim of religious discrimination at |
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Once the victim was identified as a Christian, Dean Walker never replied and simply faded into the shadows. |
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All the
16-year old Christian Young Lady wanted was a fair chance |
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to
continue working toward a degree at |
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without
having to compromise her Christian Faith. |
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The first email was sent to Dean
Walker after Dean Onesti: |
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1
Refused to even
consider a Christian young lady’s sincere religious request for a small
accommodation (because a Christian young lady is not compelled to take
courses or pursue a degree at |
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2
Gave the Christian
young lady the sole option of dropping out. |
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Once Indiana University slammed
the door in the face of the Christian young lady, the motivation for the
first Walker email was to learn if Indiana University also slammed the door in
the face if the requesting party was a Jew. |
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These emails reveal that Indiana
University has policies of special privileges for the Jews, (as contrasted to
President Brand’s policy of outright rejection and hostility for the
Christian, shown in the Brand-Dunning-Onesti series of emails). |
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While Brand’s biases and
obligations are identifiable and explainable, what makes a person like Dean
Kim Walker tick? Why didn’t she reply…even
just to say that President Brand was handling the matter personally? Would she have replied if the victim turned
out to be a Jew and not a Christian?
Did she disagree with Brand’s anti-Christian policy and did Brand tell
her to butt out? Is she a bigot and
hypocrite or are high paying bassoon jobs simply hard to come by? |
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-----Original Message----- |
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Hello! |
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I have
a question about Jewish holidays and how they may impact a Jewish person who
elects to go to Indiana University. |
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If a
Jewish student attends |
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Or, is
it possible that a professor will demand that either the student take the test
at the appointed time or receive a “zero”? |
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If the
answer is the second alternative, would it be correct to conclude that a
Jewish student would be taking a major risk by attending |
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I hope
you are the correct party to ask. If
not, would you direct me to the correct person? |
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Thanks
for your help, |
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Eric
LeVin |
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-----Original Message----- |
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Dear
Mr. LeVin, |
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Thank
you for your e-mail. I can assure you that Indiana University
has approved principes and a policy to ensure freedom of religious
observance throughout our increasingly diverse population. These are
available on the following web-site: |
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The current guidelines are the
result of lengthy faculty discourse as to the just and appropriate way to
deal with our increasingly diverse population, while attempting to strike a
reasonable balance between accommodating religious observance and meeting
academic needs and standards. This policy requires instructors to make
reasonable accommodation when a student must miss an exam or other academic
exercise because of a required religious observance. A procedure is outlined
for students requesting an accommodation. |
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1.
Faculty do not have
to consider accommodations for the purpose of allowing students to travel
away from Bloomington for a religious observance. |
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2.
Any student who is
unable to attend classes or participate in any examination, study, or work
requirement on some particular day(s) because of their religious beliefs
(his/her) must be given the opportunity to make up the work which was missed,
provided that the makeup work does not create an unreasonable burden upon
Indiana University. Upon request and timely notice, students shall be
provided reasonable accommodation. |
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3.
The University will
not levy fees or charges of any kind when allowing for the student to make up
missed work. In addition, no adverse or prejudicial effects should result to
students because they have made use of these provisions. |
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4.
Attendance policies
allowing for a specific number of dates to be missed without impact on a
student’s grade should not count within that number absences for religious
observance. Making accommodations requires faculty and students to find
suitable accommodation to cover the material from the course and complete all
required work, including exams. It is not an appropriate accommodation to
permit a student to not complete a portion of material from the course, or to
miss an exam, and simply reduce that student’s grade. |
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5.
Students are not
required to prove attendance at religious services or events in order to
obtain an accommodation for religious observance under IU policy. The students
are requested to give notice early in the semester. Please include this
reminder in course syllabus. |
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6.
Chairs and
supervisors of Associate Instructors and all other instructional personnel
have a responsibility to ensure compliance with this policy. It is an
appropriate, indeed a necessary, policy for an increasingly diverse
institution like Indiana University. |
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I hope this answers your
question. The Rabbi from El Hillel Temple and the Jewish Studies Center
have worked together in providing clarity for any specific questions which
arise. |
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Sincerely, |
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Kim Walker |
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-----Original Message----- |
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Hi! |
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Thank
you for your reply. |
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Your
clarification of the religious policy at Indian University was helpful. |
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I
appreciate that you took the time to respond to me. Thank you. |
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Too
bad the implied intent of Indiana University’s religious policy does not
reflect the actual practice at Indiana University…at least as far as my
daughter is concerned. |
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It’s
looking as though my daughter will have to accept a zero on 9.5% (out of
100%) of her course work counting toward her grade. In other words, the religious penalty for
her at Indiana University is one full grade.
So far, the University has refused to allow her to do a substitute
lesson despite an infinitesimal extra burden to Indiana University. |
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The
Department Chairman’s position differs from your policy: “It is my understanding that you have
directed this matter to [the Dean].
His is the appropriate office to consider this matter.” |
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The
Associate Dean’s position on religious accommodation differs form your
policy: “Second, while I appreciate
the analysis [which careful explains the sincerely held religious conflict
and the minimal burden a substitute lesson would place on Indiana University]
provided in your email, I do not believe that it is applicable to this
situation since your daughter is neither required by IUSCS to take this
particular course, nor is she required in any way to pursue either course or
degree requirements through the Indiana University School of Continuing
Studies if you find our material selection to be unacceptable or
inappropriate. Since there is no compulsion on the part of the
University, there is no need to analyze whether an exemption on religious
groups would be appropriate.” |
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This
email to you is neither a complaint to your office nor a request for
intervention. |
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I have
appealed the matter to the relevant Dean.
Ten days ago he emailed that:
“I am emailing you to let you know I have received [your email] and am
looking into the situation.” |
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I
haven’t heard from the dean since…I presume he needs more time. |
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Eric
J. LeVin |
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-----Original Message----- |
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Dear
Mr. LeVin, |
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What
is your daughter's name? Which department and which Dean? Many
thanks, |
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Kim Walker |
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-----Original Message----- |
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Hi! |
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Thank
you for your request for information, but I’m first trying to resolve the
matter involving my daughter at the lowest possible level at Indiana
University. |
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The
matter’s currently being looked into by one of Indiana University’s many
Deans. |
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I want
him to have the opportunity to resolve the issue. |
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I’ve
also made him aware, though, that if the matter can’t be resolved
satisfactorily (whatever that may prove to be) at his level, I plan to take
it higher within Indiana University, and if necessary, outside of Indiana
University. |
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My
original email to you was simply to confirm the practical application of
accommodations given to students who experience a religious conflict at
Indiana University. I wanted to prove
or disprove to myself whether in practice the Indiana University
Nondiscrimination Policy was different from what it appeared to be in
print. You confirmed that in practice
it should be the same as it is in print. |
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In
ancient times, when I was employed by a huge public university in the U.S, I
regularly had requests from students for all sorts of accommodations. My policy was to accommodate every
request---no matter how frivolous. I
simply wanted each student to have the best chance to do as best as
possible. I figured I had nothing to
gain by having the student get a lower grade than he deserved. What harm, for example, was it to give a
copy of an exam to a secretary, tell her a particular student would come at a
particular time, and instruct her to proctor the exam for the student? |
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In the
current Indiana University case involving my daughter, I truly expected my
request to be dealt with promptly and simply. |
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In my
original email to the Indiana University subdivision offering the course, I
attempted to make the nature of the religious conflict very clear to avoid
the need for a lot of time consuming back and forth emails. In that email, I specifically pointed out
the tiny burden the religious accommodation imposed upon anyone at Indiana
University. |
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I was
more than shocked by the response that basically said my daughter should
either drop the course or drop out completely and thus there was no need to
even consider a sincere religious accommodation. |
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As I stated
above, I’m simply trying to resolve this matter at the lowest level
possible. More importantly, I’m trying
to be as fair as possible to the individuals representing Indiana University. I personally believe some of the conduct
has been extremely unflattering to both the individual and to Indiana
University. I’m trying to give these
people the opportunity to resolve the matter, bury it, and have it get lost
in the memory hole. |
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I’m truly
amazed, though, that a request that would have been granted in 30 seconds in
my day at this other university is now snowballing into such a potentially
explosive issue at Indiana University.
In a perverse kind of way, I’ve become intrigued to learn at what
level sanity sets in at Indiana University. |
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I
appreciate what I perceive to be your offer of sanity, as evidenced by your
request for information. But, I have a
commitment and duty to the particular Dean to allow him the opportunity to
resolve his own matter in his own way.
That’s why I stated in my prior email to you that my email was neither
a complaint nor a request for intervention. |
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Please
allow me to give your Dean an opportunity to resolve the matter. |
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Thank you
to the extreme, |
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Eric
J. LeVin |
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[[[From this series of emails, Dean Walker seemed eager to
intervene in a case of religious discrimination directed against a Jew. After this series of Walker emails, Dean Dunning
endorsed the Dean Onesti position that the Christian young lady’s only option
was to drop the course…Dunning knowing full well this meant the Christian
young lady was being denied any chance of getting her desired degree. Dean Walker was then sent the Ten Counts of
Religious Discrimination (against the Christian young lady) email. Dean Walker was asked to now intervene.
Disappointingly, Dean Walker never responded to the Ten Counts of Religious
Discrimination email. Why?]]] |
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All the
16-year old Christian Young Lady wanted was a fair chance |
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to
continue working toward a degree at Indiana University |
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without
having to compromise her Christian Faith.… |
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but
Jewish President Myles Brand |
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and his
senior Indiana University officials |
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would
not tolerate this. |
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