Spring Break
In spite of some challenge, tolerance club gets nod
by Quinn Barbour and Julianna Barrera
News | 2/3/04
Posted online at 9:44 AM EST on 2/3/04
The club was also founded by Albert Cahn '07 and Bariza Umar '04.
BCT was formed to "try and unite the elements of campus that have had difficulty uniting and working together over this past semester and years before," Cahn said.
Some debate arose when Senator for Class of 2005 Mitchel Balsam asked Bahalim if he realized he would be responsible for his club's actions.
"I said to him that [did he understand] that throwing papers into the air would make [him] accountable," Balsam said, citing when Bahalim threw some papers into the air toward Daniel Pipes when he spoke on campus. "It would be said this club now is accountable."
According to Gantz, this was an argument between Balsam and Bahalim, focusing on Bahalim's actions while protesting Pipes' visit to campus.
"I think that was an unfair and unwise line of reasoning," Gantz said. "I think the only reason that things got out of hand was because student activities was not prepared to support the march in the way they normally would because they were dealing with the aftermath of Elie's death," referring to the death of Eliezer Schwartz '04 last November.
Bahalim said he has repeatedly apologized for his action, but that students were not comfortable in voicing their opinion during the protest.
"It was a momentary loss of composure," Bahalim said. "However, the real problem was the hissing and booing and the manner in which students were being mistreated for being critical of [this] speaker."
In anticipation of the controversial visit of Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes last semester, BCT staged a pro-tolerance rally through residence halls and protested Pipes' speech on Nov. 18.
BCT was formed to "try and unite the elements of campus that have had difficulty uniting and working together over this past semester and years before," Cahn said.
Some debate arose when Senator for Class of 2005 Mitchel Balsam asked Bahalim if he realized he would be responsible for his club's actions.
"I said to him that [did he understand] that throwing papers into the air would make [him] accountable," Balsam said, citing when Bahalim threw some papers into the air toward Daniel Pipes when he spoke on campus. "It would be said this club now is accountable."
According to Gantz, this was an argument between Balsam and Bahalim, focusing on Bahalim's actions while protesting Pipes' visit to campus.
"I think that was an unfair and unwise line of reasoning," Gantz said. "I think the only reason that things got out of hand was because student activities was not prepared to support the march in the way they normally would because they were dealing with the aftermath of Elie's death," referring to the death of Eliezer Schwartz '04 last November.
Bahalim said he has repeatedly apologized for his action, but that students were not comfortable in voicing their opinion during the protest.
"It was a momentary loss of composure," Bahalim said. "However, the real problem was the hissing and booing and the manner in which students were being mistreated for being critical of [this] speaker."
In anticipation of the controversial visit of Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes last semester, BCT staged a pro-tolerance rally through residence halls and protested Pipes' speech on Nov. 18.
