Professor Apologizes for Calling Student 'Cockroach'

A Claremont McKenna University professor made “unprofessional” statements but did not violate the school’s harassment policy when he called a student a “cockroach” during a March demonstration, according to a report released Friday.

The results of the investigation led by Claremont McKenna Dean of Students Mary Spellman found that CMC professor Yaron Raviv did make an inappropriate comment to a Pitzer College student outside of Collins Dining Hall, but did not impede the free speech rights of the students.

CMC President Pamela B. Gann said in a statement accepting the findings of the report that Raviv’s statements “were unprofessional and did not reflect CMC’s values.”

But the report was also critical of the student demonstration that sparked the verbal incident.

The Claremont chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine held a “street theater” demonstration that simulated passing through an Israeli Defense Forces checkpoint. During the demonstration, the SJP group was “impeding access to the main entrance of Collins Dining Hall.”

By impeding access, the group was in violation of Claremont McKenna and the Claremont Colleges’ demonstrations policy, both of which prohibit the restriction of “free movement on the campus.”

The incident escalated when Raviv, who is of Israeli-Jewish descent, went to observe the event at the behest of concerned students. When a member of the SJP group, a student of Palestinian descent, engaged Raviv, the discussion devolved.

According to the report, Raviv heard the student say that he would “hunt you down,” a statement the student denies. In response, the student reported Raviv called him a “f***ing cockroach” and “You are all cockroaches” and referred to Pitzer College students as “cockroaches.”

A campus safety officer at the event corroborated portions of each side’s account, but did not fully corroborate either completely.

Raviv, in a statement emailed to Patch, said “I apologize for my use of inappropriate language during the March 4 incident. In the heat of the moment I chose my words poorly.”

While the report was accepted by Gann, the Pitzer College student senate released a statement Sunday calling into question "the validity of CMC’s investigation, and call upon the CMC and Pitzer administrations to clarify the level of cooperation between the two in producing CMC’s final investigative report. We request that this clarification be made publicly."

You can read the entire report in the PDF attached to this article.

Here is Gann's statement on the report and incident:

As President of CMC, I accept the findings of this review, and I agree that the faculty member’s statements were unprofessional and did not reflect CMC’s values. As an institution of higher education, we strive to model an ideal community for civil discourse. In order to do so, we count on our community members—and especially our faculty—to conduct themselves in a professional manner that respects differences of opinion and robust, civilized expressions on controversial issues. That, unfortunately, did not occur here. With respect to the process applied to these events, I believe that the College acted promptly to review this incident, and that its review of this matter has been completed in a manner that has been fair and neutral while being respectful of the rights of both parties.

Although it is unfortunate that this incident occurred, it is my hope and intention that we collectively take this opportunity to establish a constructive and positive dialogue around these issues on our campuses. Toward this end, I will initiate a discussion with the Council of Presidents on approaches to improving the campus climate for Arab and Jewish students and other members of the community. Internally at CMC, I will also activate a discussion on these concerns with the faculty, the Dean of Students Office, and other interested groups to address these issues affirmatively moving forward. Our ultimate goal is to provide a campus environment that supports free speech and peaceful assembly while also insuring that the individual rights of all members of the community are appropriately protected so that all individuals feel safe and welcome on campus.

Raviv also issued this statement to Patch:

First, I apologize for my use of inappropriate language during the March 4 incident. In the heat of the moment I chose my words poorly.

I would like to provide some context regarding the incident. Although it has not been widely reported, the student with whom I had the exchange was blocking my way to the dining hall. After I moved away from the entrance he continued to hassle me. First, the student demanded to see my id, and then after seeing that I am a faculty member at the college, he threatened me by saying “I will hunt you down!” This comment is what provoked my response.

I also want to make it clear that I never tried to stop the students’ demonstration or stifle students’ free speech. I merely requested -- at the behest of other students who felt that the protestors’ blocking of the entrance and demand for id prevented them from having free passage to the dining hall -- that the “check point” be moved 10 feet aside from the entrance.  In addition, I did not know and had no way of knowing that the student in front of me is Palestinian.

I really appreciate the efforts of the investigation team toward revealing the truth about this unfortunate incident. Let me state definitively that I fully support the rights of students to speak, protest, and demonstrate. A respectful exchange of ideas is one of the most important foundations of the academy. However let me also be clear that such rights do not encompass harassment and threats of violence.