Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns released a statement via email regarding his support of an anti-Jewish bias and discrimination bill Monday.
The bill he was referring to, House Bill 1037, proposes a definition of antisemitism and classifies that "antisemitism is discrimination on the basis of religion," according to the bill. Authored by state Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, HB 1037 passed the House Feb. 23 with a vote of 94-0, with one member not voting.
The bill will now be going to the Senate.
Mearns thanked Rep. Jeter and Senators Susan Glick, R-LaGrange, and Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, for sponsoring the bill in the State Senate.
"Whether these acts occur far away or in our community, they are unacceptable, and we must support our Jewish students and colleagues," Mearns said.
Ball State will host several events focusing on Jewish culture. On March 29, a free concert will take place in Sursa Hall focusing on composers who faced discrimination or were killed during the Holocaust. Among the performers will be Dr. Galit Gertsenzon, director of Ball State's Jewish Studies Program.
March 30, the annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture will happen in room 175 of the Art and Journalism Building. The speaker for this event will be Miriam Friedman Morris, who spent more than four decades finding her father's work which was looted during World War II, according to the Librarians, the blog of the National Library of Israel.
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