NOTE: Faculty, if you are interviewed and quoted by news media, or if your work has been cited, and you have an online link to the article or video, please let us know. Contact us at news@csusb.edu. 

‘We’re seeing a leaner and meaner type of hate crime going on,’ says CSUSB professor

Giving Compass

Oct. 18, 2020

Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, responded to a report on hate crimes released by the FBI.

While the number of reported hate crimes dipped slightly in 2018, violence against individuals rose to a 16-year high, according to numbers released Tuesday by the FBI.

The main concern for extremism trackers, however, is the rising level of violence — the report showed an increase in the number of “crimes against persons,” such as intimidation, assault and homicide.

“We’re seeing a leaner and meaner type of hate crime going on,” said Levin. “Homicides were up and crimes against persons were up and that’s an important thing to look at.”

Levin said the increase in assaults was almost evenly distributed across demographic groups, with African-Americans, Jews, whites, gays and Latinos targeted the most. As in previous years, the majority of hate crimes reported in 2018 were motivated by bias against race and ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.

Read the whole article at "Despite Decrease In Hate Crimes, Targeted Violence Is On The Rise."

CSUSB Palm Desert Campus dean participates in discussion about challenges during the pandemic

Palm Springs Life

Oct. 18, 2020

Jake Zhu, dean of the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, was part of a virtual discussion for the fourth webisode of “The Economic Future of the Coachella Valley” series. Zhu, along with two other education leaders, discussed the state of education, the challenges caused by the pandemic, and what offerings lie ahead for students.

Zhu said the pandemic has provided some valuable lessons on deriving the best from technology.

“First, we will rely more universal approaches, using information and communication technologies to support our operations and academic program deliveries,” Zhu said. “Second, we will see more flexible programs that are now a combination of delivering those that include in-class instruction online and hybrid. The content of our academic programs should include the understanding and practice of working virtually so that future students will be trained to function successfully in the virtual environment. Finally, we’ll never be able to accurately predict when we’ll face a similar event, or challenge like the COVID-19 at a higher ed institution. We never know what is going to happen next, but it’s always good to be ready for whatever happens.”

Read the whole article at "Best in Class."

CSUSB professor quoted about President Trump’s comments about the alt-left vs. the alt-right

Daily Kos

Oct. 17, 2020

Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, was quoted about President Trump’s comments about the alt-left vs. the alt-right.

Antifa, or anti-fascist activists, used clubs and dyed liquids against the white supremacists during the violence in Charlottesville. Other counterprotesters included nonviolent clergy members.

But there is one stark difference between the violence on the two sides: The police said that James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio drove his car into a crowd and killed at least one person, Heather Heyer. Fields was charged with second-degree murder.

Comparing Antifa to Fields’s act is like “comparing a propeller plane to a C-130 transport,” said Levin.

“Using the fact that some counterprotesters were, in fact, violent, creates a structural and moral false equivalency that is seriously undermining the legitimacy of this president,” Levin said.

Read the whole article at "Corruption #33: Trump drops his 'October surprise' bombshell and it lands with a thud."

These news clips and others may be viewed at “In the Headlines.”