Penn State President Graham Spanier has declined signing a petition circulated by the PSU Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), citing a policy of not signing petitions.

But three years ago, President Spanier was among nine college presidents who organized a petition to endorse Columbia University President Lee Bollinger’s statement denouncing a boycott of Israeli educational institutions. The petition, bearing the names of 286 college presidents, appeared in the August 8, 2007 edition of The New York Times as a full-page ad sponsored by the American Jewish Committee.

The SJP petition was initially sent to President Spanier on June 8, and condemned Israel’s actions in the May 31 “Freedom Flotilla” incident. It also expressed “solidarity” for those on the ship and asked for an immediate international investigation into the May 31 incident and into the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza.

When SJP Vice President Shadi Ghrayep asked for an explanation as to why President Spanier signed the petition that appeared in the New York Times but not the SJP petition, he was told that the 2007 petition was signed because it was an “educational initiative.”

Penn State Vice President for Administration Thomas Poole was corresponding with Ghrayep (graduate-engineering), and further explained his response today.

“[President Spanier] was asked to sign [the petition in 2007] as a president of the university that is a member of the educational organization, and it was simply a statement about educational policy — something that would benefit higher education nationally and therefore Penn State as well,” Poole said. “As a university president that’s part of his job to advocate on behalf of educational initiatives.”

Ghrayep said, however, the SJP petition could be viewed as an educational initiative because educational supplies are among items currently being barred from Gaza and that President Spanier’s distinction between the two petitions is contradictory.