A new report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) has allegedly uncovered alarming discrepancies in Yale University's reporting of foreign funds, particularly from Qatar. The findings, released Wednesday, suggest a pattern of non-compliance with US federal reporting laws, sparking concerns about transparency in higher education.

According to the report, titled "The Ongoing Failure to Report: Yale University, Qatar, and Undisclosed Foreign Funding, Volume Two," Yale received approximately $15.9 million from Qatar over a decade beginning in 2012. However, the university reported only $284,668 during this period, a significant underreporting that violates Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Qatar's US Embassy put out an official statement denying both any financial or ideological influence on US campuses.

Qatar has reportedly contributed $4.7B to dozens of academic institutions in the USA between 2001-2021.

They have donated more than any country in the world… pic.twitter.com/U5rzylZIXh

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 14, 2024

The ISGAP report, part of its "Follow the Money" project examining foreign funding of US universities since 2012, suggests that Qatar's financial contributions may be part of a broader strategy to exert influence and promote the interests of the Qatari regime. The collaboration between Yale and Qatar allegedly involves numerous undisclosed transactions that do not appear in Yale's financial statements or the US Department of Education's reporting system.

Dr. Charles Asher Small, ISGAP's Executive Director, expressed concern over the implications of these funding practices. "The persistent non-disclosure of substantial foreign funds, as well as contracts, MOUs, and agreements with foreign foundations and government agencies, not only undermines transparency and accountability but also poses significant risks to the integrity of higher education," he said. Small added that "Despite prior investigations and warnings, Yale and other universities continue to engage in practices that violate federal law."

The report also highlights a potential link between foreign funding and antisemitic incidents on US campuses. ISGAP's previous research has shown that antisemitic incidents are more prevalent at universities receiving Qatari funding. "The omission of substantial Qatari grants in Yale University's financial statements raises questions about academic integrity and foreign influence," Small noted. "There is concern that the same is happening at Yale, which has seen a sharp rise in antisemitism on campus since the October 7 attacks in Israel."

To address these issues, ISGAP has proposed several policy recommendations aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in university funding. These include stricter enforcement of existing disclosure laws, increased scrutiny of foreign donations, and measures to protect academic freedom and institutional autonomy from foreign influence. The organization is calling on the US Department of Education to intensify its oversight to ensure full compliance with federal funding disclosure laws across all universities.

This latest report follows Volume One, released in 2023, which previously exposed non-disclosure practices at several institutions, including Yale. Those findings led to federal investigations in 2019.

The post Yale accused of concealing millions in Qatari funding appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

As part of the referendum, during the following semester, students will be able to vote on the following proposition: "Must the university divest from companies that profit from or engage in the State of Israel's acts towards Palestinians that, according to CUAD, fall under the United Nations International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid acts against Palestinians?"

In a report published in The Algamenier, the proposition was presented by a student group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest, or CUAD, whose purpose is to fight "against the Israeli occupation," which they say is "in line with the United Nations definition of apartheid crimes."

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Since 2016, CUAD has called upon Columbia to divest from Israel, but was voted down earlier this year in March and in 2017 as well.

After the vote, supporters of the proposition were heard repeating the chant: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

The slogan is said by those who support the creation of a Palestinian state in the area between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, in place of Israel, and is espoused by some proponents of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and operatives within Hamas, which the US designates as a terrorist organization.

Ofir Dayan, a political science major and head of the student group Students Supporting Israel at Columbia University strongly condemned the move saying, "We will fight the referendum with all our power. Its purpose is clear: to cause Israelis and those who are pro-Israel to feel uncomfortable, but we must not under any circumstances close our eyes."

"First of all, the university's investments are immune [to such actions], and it is unclear who the [school] invests in. In addition, one of the sections includes reaching a full consensus at the university and this will not be achieved," he explained.  "Therefore, it is clear that the action is merely symbolic, although the [BDS activists] see it as legitimate. It's important to note that this action was opposed across the political spectrum of the Jewish community, who claimed it to be offensive, anti-Semitic, and overreaching."

In March, the President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger dismissed the idea of divesting from companies who conduct business with Israel, saying that the university should not make a decision to take action against something unless there is a campus-wide consensus that such an action is wrong.

However, in 2018, a referendum like this one was passed at Barnard College, but was later criticized and rejected by the school's president Sian Leah Beilock.

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