Dear President Mark Wrighton,

Please take immediate action to remedy antisemitism under Title VI complaint spearheaded by StandWithUs.

I was shocked to learn about the abhorrent discriminatory treatment of Jewish and Israeli students in the GWU Professional Psychology Program. It is unacceptable that GWU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion does not extend to Jewish and Israeli students.  As an alum of GWU, I find this to be unacceptbale at my alma mater.

The antisemitism perpetuated in Dr. Lara Sheehi’s mandatory diversity course, including her targeting and marginalizing of the identities of Jewish and Israeli students, as well as her subsequent retaliation against those students when they complained about the antisemitism they were experiencing, is indefensible. It is clear that GWU has failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students, and I support the Title VI complaint filed on their behalf.  

GWU must take immediate action to fulfill its obligations under Title VI, determine how such blatant discrimination was allowed and defended, remedy such wrongdoing, and take steps to ensure that Jewish and Israeli students are not singled out for such treatment in the future. Specifically, I call upon your administration to halt the baseless disciplinary proceedings against these students, ensure they are offered a means of fulfilling program requirements under a professor other than Dr. Sheehi, and fully investigate their claims of antisemitism within the program. I further ask that your administration implement mandatory bias training within the program, and adopt and utilize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism in addressing future potential instances of antisemitism. 

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME HERE]