Criticism of Community College's Saudi Deal

Criticism is growing over Rancho Santiago Community College District's $105 million contract to help two technical schools in Saudi Arabia, The Los Angeles Times reported. Faculty members have worried that the contract is supporting discriminatory policies. Now the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism, has weighed in with a letter to the college warning that it must abide by federal and state anti-bias laws even when it operates outside the U.S. “While we support programs that seek to establish collaborative relationships with universities in the Middle East, we do believe that special care must be taken when establishing programs where there are restrictions on the activities of programs based on characteristics such as religion, gender, national origin or sexual orientation,” said the letter.

Raul Rodriguez, chancellor of the district, said that it was in compliance with laws, but acknowledged that the Saudi government's policies are discriminatory. The technical schools that Rancho Santiago is helping educate only male students and bar the hiring of female instructors to teach male students. But Rodriguez said that Rancho Santiago doesn't do the faculty hiring. Of the college's view of Saudi Arabia's policies, he said, “It's not an endorsement. We're in no way condoning the views and stance of the Saudi government.”