Professor told student he wouldn’t support her study abroad in Israel. Here’s why that’s a problem.

A professor at the University of Michigan recently told a student that he could not write her a letter of recommendation to study abroad. He said no, (after initially saying yes), not because she was a bad student or because he didn’t think the experience would be valuable, but because she wanted to study in Israel.

The professor, John Cheney-Lippold, told the student in an email, “As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine. This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there.”