Fowler School of Law postpones diversity, social justice forum symposium event to spring 2024
Due to recent events between Israel and Palestine, Fowler School of Law has decided to postpone its Diversity and Social Justice Forum Symposium until the spring semester. Photo courtesy of The Panther Archives
In an email sent out by Fowler School of Law (FSOL), Dean Paul Paton detailed that the 2023 Diversity and Social Justice Forum Symposium, originally scheduled for Oct. 12, would be pushed back to the spring semester.
The Diversity and Social Justice Forum is a student-run organization at the law school. The group produces a publication and hosts an annual symposium to raise awareness for issues relating to diversity and social justice. Each year, the group also organizes an event to highlight these ideas.
The symposium event for the year was titled “Intersectionality and Lawyering,” and there were to be two parts of the event. The first part was to be presented by Professor Khaled A. Beydoun and titled "The New Crusades and American Islamophobia.” Beydoun is currently on a book tour in support of his new book, "The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims."
The announcement sent to law school students detailed more information regarding Beydoun’s keynote speech, which were postponed due to the recent events between Israel and Palestine, according to an Oct. 17 email sent out by Paton.
In an email announcement, Paton expressed concern in delaying the event.
“We understand Professor Beydoun’s disappointment at the postponed opportunity to promote his work and the short notice of this decision, which was made after careful consideration, extensive consultation and thoughtful deliberation in response to very recent events of great sensitivity to FSOL students, faculty, staff and the broader campus and international community,” Paton stated in the email.
Paton continued: “We are deeply concerned about the significant potential for Professor Beydoun’s message and the related panel discussion not to be received appropriately; interpreted solely through a lens of current events; or worse, to be actively disrupted at this student-run, student-led event.”
The second part of the event would have been a panel discussion titled, "Legal Decisions and Intersectionality: Anti-Capitalist and Decolonial Perspectives.” This portion of the event was to feature four professors from regional law schools and was set to be moderated by law professor Ernesto Hernandez, the faculty advisor for the Diversity and Social Justice Forum.
More information on why the event had been postponed for the safety of students was found in the email sent to FSOL students announcing the postponement of the event on Oct. 17.
“Our primary concern remains squarely on the physical and mental welfare and safety of our students, and (we) want to ensure that the time, energy and effort the Diversity and Social Justice Forum Symposium student leaders have put into organizing this academic symposium will be realized as the success they originally envisioned,” Paton wrote in the email. “Chapman remains committed to academic freedom and free speech and to student conduct policies, which stipulate that harassment, discrimination and the promotion of violence have no place in our community.”
“Our primary concern remains squarely on the physical and mental welfare and safety of our students, and (we) want to ensure that the time, energy and effort the Diversity and Social Justice Forum Symposium student leaders have put into organizing this academic symposium will be realized as the success they originally envisioned. Chapman remains committed to academic freedom and free speech and to student conduct policies, which stipulate that harassment, discrimination and the promotion of violence have no place in our community.”
