AAUP-Penn to Interim President: “Do Not Escalate”

POSTED BY JENNIFER RUTH

This morning, on April twenty seventh, the AAUP-Penn Govt Committee despatched the next pressing message to Interim President Jameson, Provost Jackson, and Senior Govt Vice President Carnaroli in response to final evening’s message threatening to close down the coed antiwar protest on School Inexperienced:

April 27, 2024

Pricey President Jameson, Provost Jackson, and Senior Govt Vice President Carnaroli,

We’re deeply disturbed by the e-mail you despatched final evening, which calls for that peaceable protesters go away School Inexperienced on the premise of unsubstantiated allegations, together with claims that their encampment threatens the protection of others. These allegations have been disputed to us by school and college students who’ve attended and noticed the demonstration. Your assertion mischaracterizes the general nature of an antiwar protest that essentially entails sturdy feelings on each side however has not, to our data, concerned any precise violence or threats of violence to people on our campus. On the contrary, these concerned within the demonstration have labored to take care of a nonviolent house of dialogue, debate, and even disagreement, within the spirit of an academic setting. Furthermore, we have now acquired reviews of potential harassment and intimidating conduct directed on the peaceable protesters themselves, creating the regarding impression that complaints of harassment are being evaluated and insurance policies utilized in a discriminatory method—a possible violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Penn’s administration has already been accused of creating a sample of discriminatory conduct in its public statements in addition to its actions this yr. For example, in futile makes an attempt to appease donors, lobbying organizations, and politicians who want to management what may be taught, studied, and publicly mentioned in the US, you might have restricted a Jewish pupil group’s capability to display a movie vital of the state of Israel; you might have banned the coed group Penn towards the Occupation; you might have failed to point out ample concern for the harassment of Palestinian, Muslim, Iranian, and Arab college students and college; and you’ve got issued public statements which have contributed to that harassment. This sample should not proceed. We urge you to not use disputed claims and partial depictions as justifications for a crackdown on peaceable protesters.

We’re additional involved by your declare that the encampment violates unnamed services insurance policies. On the one hand, as an illustration underneath the Tips on Open Expression, the encampment will not be an occasion requiring a services allow in any respect. However, you might be implying that the encampment violates another services coverage—which one, we can’t know and can’t consider whereas your implicit risk to clear the encampment inside 24 hours looms. What we do know is that in this tutorial yr, Penn’s central administration, like college administrations nationwide, has turned to silencing speech vital of the struggle in Gaza by way of discriminatory enforcement of mundane and petty guidelines; in a single extremely publicized case on our campus, the Vice Provost for College Life reported a pupil to CSA for allegedly posting stickers concerning the Palestine Freedom Faculty, claiming that this was a violation of the Code of Pupil Conduct. As all of us know, college students routinely submit stickers on our campus about all method of topics with out being hauled into disciplinary proceedings, and in prior circumstances when college students have been penalized for stickering, they’ve been fined $1, not accused of significant violations of the Pupil Code of Conduct. This sample of discriminatory rule enforcement, in each occasion focusing on speech vital of the struggle in Gaza, is itself a violation of Penn’s Tips on Open Expression, which prohibit the College from limiting meeting and demonstration on the premise of the substantive content material of the views expressed. And it raises additional questions on Penn’s adherence to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

You say you “have carefully monitored the protest.” We write to tell you that we’re carefully monitoring your actions. Penn has the chance to set a unique instance from the college administrations at Columbia, NYU, Emory, the College of Texas Austin, Indiana College, Ohio State, and different establishments which have dedicated grievous violations of open expression and tutorial freedom, and unleashed surprising police violence towards college students and college. On Thursday when the demonstration started, we have been happy to see Penn keep away from pointless escalation and respect the rights of members of our neighborhood to take part in peaceable protest. We urge you to take care of that dedication to open expression. Don’t escalate the scenario. Don’t violate the rights of scholars and college. Keep in mind that the actions you select to take immediately will probably be your legacy.

Peaceable protest has an extended and proud historical past at our college. We count on to see it revered within the current.

Sincerely,AAUP-Penn Govt Committee