April 15, 2026
Dear Interim President Jones, President Blanchard, Provost Scissum Gunn, and Vice President for Student Affairs Lesen:
We, the undersigned CSULB faculty, write to request the reinstatement of Dr. Azza Basarudin to her role as faculty advisor to the CSULB chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). We do so based on our commitment to the principles of academic freedom, due process, and faculty governance that are essential to this institution’s integrity and public trust.
We are seriously concerned by the suspension of Dr. Basarudin—a highly valuable colleague and accomplished scholar—from her faculty advisory role. To our knowledge, no specific allegation of policy violation has been articulated and no reference to governing institutional policy has been made in connection with this action.
Faculty must be free to teach, conduct research, engage in scholarly discourse, and fulfill their professional responsibilities, including service as student organization advisors, without fear of administrative reprisal. The protection of these freedoms applies with equal force even where faculty viewpoints or advocacy may be at odds with prevailing institutional sentiment or administrative preferences.
While your administration may have information not available to us faculty, the absence of any stated policy rationale compels us to raise the following concerns:
First, the suspension apparently occurred without the procedural protections to which Dr. Basarudin is entitled as a unionized faculty member under the CSU Collective Bargaining Agreement. Article 19 of that Agreement requires that any formal disciplinary action be preceded by written notice specifying the cause for the action, the proposed sanction, its effective date, the identity of the reviewing officer, and information regarding the right to appeal and to request a hearing. We are not aware that these requirements have been satisfied.
Second, faculty advocacy on behalf of students such as Dr. Basarudin engaged in — including raising concerns about equitable enforcement of campus policies, supporting students' access to due process, and attending to students' mental health and well-being — is not merely permissible faculty conduct. It is a core professional responsibility and a constitutive element of shared governance. Sanctioning a faculty member for fulfilling this role would represent a significant departure from accepted norms of institutional governance.
Third, when considered alongside other reported incidents involving expression related to Palestinian human rights on this campus, the suspension raises concerns of viewpoint-based discrimination and the selective and inequitable application of institutional policy. We do not make this observation lightly, and we recognize that context alone does not establish intent. However, the cumulative pattern warrants candid acknowledgment and further scrutiny.
We respectfully request that you provide, in writing, the following:
1. A clear and specific explanation of the basis for Dr. Basarudin's suspension, including identification of any policy or contractual provision she is alleged to have violated;
2. A full accounting of the process and standards used in conducting any review leading to this action, including the identities of the officials involved in the decision;
3. A description of the procedural protections afforded to Dr. Basarudin prior to and in connection with this action, and confirmation that Article 19 of the CSU Collective Bargaining Agreement has been or will be honored in full; and
4. The immediate reinstatement of Dr. Basarudin to her position as faculty advisor to SJP pending the outcome of any properly constituted review process conducted in accordance with applicable contractual procedures.
We wish to be clear: this letter is not an expression of opposition to the administration, nor is it intended to prejudge the outcome of any legitimate review process. It is, rather, a call for transparency, procedural integrity, and adherence to the principles that distinguish a university committed to academic freedom from one that treats those values as optional or conditional.
We further note that California Scholars for Academic Freedom (letter dated March 28, 2026), the Middle East Studies Association (letter dated March 30, 2026), and the Palestine, Muslim, and Arab Caucus of the California Faculty Association (letter dated March 31, 2026) have each written to CSULB administrators regarding this matter. As of the date of this letter, none of these organizations has received a reply from CSULB.
CSULB's reputation—as an institution that serves a diverse student body and upholds the public trust—depends in large part on the consistency and fairness with which it treats its faculty. We urge prompt action to address the concerns raised in this letter, and we welcome the opportunity to engage in further dialogue on this and related matters of freedom of speech on our campus.
Respectfully submitted,
Dra. Jeannette Acevedo Rivera, Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures
Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed, Sociology
Dr. Yousef Baker, Global Studies
Dr. Lori Baralt, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Nimisha Barton, History
Dr. Anna Bax, Linguistics
Dr. Banafsheh Behzad, Information Systems
Prof. Katy Calen, ASLD
Dr. Kathryn Chew, Classics and Religious Studies
Dr. Robert Chlala, Sociology
Prof. Thea Fojas de Borja, MA Ed, Asian & Asian American Studies
Dr. Christine El Ouardani, Human Development
Dr. Araceli Esparza, English
Dr. Caitlin Fouratt, Global Studies
Dr. Martha C. Franco, Sociology
Prof. Claire Garrido-Ortega, MPH, CHES, Health Science
Dr. Justin Gomer, American Studies
Dr. Theresa Gregor, Program in American Indian Studies
Dr. Barbara Grossman-Thompson, Global Studies
Prof. Elizabeth Guzik, English
Dr. Rich Haesly, Political Science
Dr. Deborah Hamm, Retired, Teacher Education
Dr. Stephanie Hartzell, Communication Studies
Dr. Liesl Haas, Political Science
Dr. Mellisa M. Hidalgo, Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Dr. Lily House-Peters, Geography
Prof. Ben Huff, Cinematic Arts
Dr. Ali İğmen, History
Dr. Seung-hoon Jeong, Cinematic Arts
Dr. Rajbir Singh Judge, History
Dr. Ann Kim, Human Development
Dr. Barbara Kim, Asian & Asian American Studies
Dr. Mimi Kim, Social Work
Dr. Wendy Klein, Linguistics
Dr. Kavitha Koshy, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Viola Lasmana, Comparative World Literature and Classics
Dr. May Lin, Asian & Asian American Studies
Dr. Ron Loewe, Anthropology
Dr. Claudia Lopez, Sociology
Dr. Dennis López, English
Dr. Jacqueline Lyon, Chicanx and Latiné Studies
Dr. Stacy Macias, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Tina Matuchniak, English
Dr. Shae Miller, Sociology
Dr. Brett Mizelle, American Studies
Prof. Felicia Montes, Chicano Latino Studies
Dr. Chantrey J. Murphy, Sociology
Dr. Marlene Nava Ramos, Chicanx and Latine Studies
Dr. Aparna Nayak, Romance, German, Russian Languages & Literatures
Dr. Steven Osuna, Sociology
Dr. Kathryn Perkins, Political Science
Dr. Carie Rael, History
Dr. Samiha Rahman, Human Development
Dr. Loretta Victoria Ramirez, Chicano & Latino Studies
Dr. Shelly-Ann Collins Rawle, Counseling and Psychological Services
Dr. Jennifer Reed, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Thomas James Reed, Program of American Indian Studies
Dr. Kimberly Robertson, American Indian Studies
Dr. Itxaso Rodríguez-Ordóñez, Linguistics
Dr. Rigoberto Rodriguez, Chicanx and Latinx Studies
Dr. Barton Saunders, English
Dr. Norbert Schürer, English
Dr. Sophea Seng, Asian & Asian American Studies
Prof. Kiana Shaley, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Prof. Banafshe Sharifian-Attar, MPH, CHES, Health Science
Dr. Preeti Sharma, American Studies
Prof. Helen Hood Scheer, Cinematic Arts
Dr. Debby Sneed, Comparative World Literature and Classics
Dr. Daniela Suárez, RGRLL
Dr. Esa Syeed, Sociology
Dr. Ann Thuy-Ling Tran, Asian and Asian American Studies
Prof. Sherry Vatter, History
Dr. Kimberly Walters, Global Studies
Dr. Nellie Wieland, Philosophy
Dr. Jake Wilson, Sociology
Dr. Kerry Woodward, Sociology
Prof. Désirée Zamorano, Education