The University of Michigan’s handling of campus conflicts related to the Israel-Hamas war became a focus of discussions over the university’s 2025 fiscal year budget at the June 20 Board of Regents meeting.

Two regents addressed the issue in remarks during the meeting, as did President Santa J. Ono, who said he remains committed to working “to ensure that we all have the university we want — one that is safe and welcoming for all and in which civil discourse prevails.”

“As the University of Michigan’s president, I am steadfast in my commitment to making our university the premier institution, not only for higher learning (and) research, but one that values diversity of thought and provides our students and every member of the community with a forum to challenge one another in a cordial and open dialogue,” Ono said.

Regent Mark Bernstein cited the administration’s response to antisemitism at U-M as the reason he, for the first time, voted against the annual proposed budget package to fund university operations for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

“My vote is informed by three observations. One, first, my belief that our university has failed the vast majority of our Jewish students in addressing antisemitism on our campus,” Bernstein said.

“Secondly, our many failures during the past academic year have reduced my confidence in our ability to fight the dangerous, deeply rooted culture of antisemitism on our campus going forward.

“And finally, the administration has failed to present, in my view, a detailed plan to address the current crisis with the conviction, resources and urgency that this challenge demands.”

Regent Jordan Acker, while voting for the budget, echoed Bernstein’s comments. Both cited a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education that said U-M did not address whether reports of antisemitism on campus created a hostile environment for students, faculty and staff.

The university has reached an agreement with the Education Department regarding two complaints that were filed with the department’s Office of Civil Rights and announced June 17 that it would review existing policies and develop new ones related to discrimination and harassment on the basis of national origin and shared ancestry.

Acker, whose law office recently was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, said that since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas “many of us have been asked to either distance ourselves from our Jewish identity.”

“Instead of debate or discussion on the war in Gaza, much of this conversation, especially on our campus, has been around whether Jews and Jews alone have the right to self-determination,” Acker said. “There has been intense policing of Jews’ ability to determine for themselves what is antisemitic and what is not. That must end.”

Ono acknowledged these are “indeed challenging times, not just for Michigan, but on all campuses across the country and around the world.”

Many college campuses have been roiled by protests, including at U-M where protesters erected an encampment on the Diag for four weeks before public safety officials removed it.

“I am mindful that, while we condemn the actions of individuals and groups who conduct threatening, intimidating and illegal acts, we have supported and will continue to support every member of the community who wishes to have a meaningful dialogue about complex subjects like the war in the Middle East,” Ono said.

“But when individuals or groups threaten or intimidate members of our wider university community, we will not hesitate to step in and to hold them accountable.”