By Jackson Hare, Education and Enrichment Coordinator 

Before the inaugural event preceding a series on Palestinian liberation theology on Nov. 7, Xavier’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (OIDI) withdrew its funding following concerns raised by a group of faculty and students about potential antisemitism.

The series, titled “Let it Bring Hope,” is hosted by assistant professor Kayla Wheeler through the Africana Studies program. Wheeler applied for a “truth, racial healing and reconciliation grant” through the OIDI to provide free food and to invite Palestinian theologian Daniel Bannoura to speak.

Students and faculty took issue with language used in the title and description of the first event, particularly the use of the words “genocide,” “occupation” and “apartheid.” As a result, the OIDI was advised by Xavier’s general counsel to rescind funding due to concerns of compliance with House Resolution 57, which expresses Congress’s support of Israel.

This language was not originally included in the grant application according to Wheeler. Instead, the title and description came from the speaker’s planned presentation after he accepted the offer to come and speak. 

According to Wheeler, she was not informed by Xavier administration about the rescinding of funding nor the concerns that prompted the decision. Instead, the changes and concerns were communicated solely by Chair of the Department of Race, Intersectionality, Gender and Sociology Mich Nyawalo.

Newswire reached out to members of the university’s administration to get their perspective on the matter. 

“Like many institutions of higher education, Xavier is seeking to balance two foundational commitments: Academic Freedom, which calls us to seek the truth even when it is difficult, and Ignatian Belonging, which calls us to be aware of the impacts, direct or indirect, of language and work collaboratively to acknowledge each other’s lived experiences. Our colleagues across the University are seeking to navigate these commitments,” Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Rachel Chrastil said. 

Nyawalo also informed Wheeler that there were concerns that protesters would attend the event. Daniel Bannoura pulled out from the event due to concerns for his safety. Despite expected protests, an altered version of the event still took place, filling the Clocktower Lounge in Gallagher Student Center with about 50 attendees.

Bannoura lectured during a later event via Zoom on Nov. 18. The event was held off-campus at the Community Friends Quaker Meeting house down the street from Xavier with about 30 attendees, roughly 12 of them being Xavier students. 

“Anyone who went to these talks would tell you that it was a space of love and dialogue. It’s not a room full of sheep where everybody was on the same page about what justice looked like or what this issue looked like,” Wheeler said.

“We had moments of difficult dialogues, but we’re professors. We’re trained to do that. We do that in the classroom, we do that at conferences, we do that in our papers — we’re able to do that in an intentional way.”

After the events proposed in the grant were publicized on social media, Dr. Wheeler received several emails from individuals with no known affiliation to the university. The emails contained criticisms of the event and questioned whether Wheeler was truly informed on the matter. Wheeler did not report that she received these emails to the University.

“I didn’t feel comfortable contacting anyone with the university, because it was clear that the university was okay with the event being canceled, so I didn’t think they would be on my side,” she said. “There’s a broader history of the university preventing Palestinian events from happening, so I didn’t think anyone would care. I would like for it to be investigated, but I didn’t believe anyone would care.”

Citing both the arrests of two former Xavier students protesting before the graduation ceremony and the panel discussion hosted by Xavier’s Young Democratic Socialists of America, Wheeler suggested this was the result of a wider culture at Xavier.

“There’s been this violence and this chilling effect of, specifically, activism around Palestine that Muslim faculty, staff members and students have felt,” Wheeler said.