St. Cloud State to review alleged anti-Semitism

ST. CLOUD (AP) -- St. Cloud State University administrators have agreed to pay for a study designed to determine the extent of alleged anti-Semitism on campus.

The review, which will cost $17,000, comes in response to the complaints of some current and former professors who believe Jewish faculty members and other minorities are subject to long-standing prejudice.

History professor Laurinda Stryker claims a recommendation for her non-retention came in retaliation for speaking out against discrimination on campus. Former history professor Arie Zmora says colleagues harassed him, questioned his patriotism and discouraged him from speaking about the Holocaust.

Last October, Zmora, who is from Israel, filed an employment discrimination charge against the university with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"We've been sensitive to many different constituents on campus and we thought it'd be an appropriate move to study and identify ways to make the university more comfortable for everybody," said Roy Saigo, the university's president.

The study will be conducted by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and North and South Dakota, which may offer any recommendations to improve the campus climate.