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CUNY Faculty and Staff Reject the Palestine Exception to Free Speech
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October 17, 2023

We Reject the Palestine Exception to Free Speech at CUNY

We, the undersigned CUNY staff and faculty, strongly object to Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez’s efforts to censure expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people. In advance of anti-apartheid rallies planned on multiple campuses, the Chancellor claimed that the organizers would “glorify Saturday’s [Oct. 7] violence and celebrate the killings, injuries and capture of innocent people.” This baseless, prejudicial statement reproduces the racist, Islamophobic rhetoric that has accompanied the drumbeat for war. In preemptively withdrawing support from a whole subset of students, staff and faculty, he has sought to suppress dissent at a time when the university - a public university and the largest urban university system in the nation – should be fostering open, critical discussion.

This is not the only time that the Chancellor and other CUNY administrators have scapegoated Palestine solidarity activism. Last week, Brooklyn College president Michelle Anderson capitulated to Councilwoman Inna Vernikov’s demand to ban a Students for Justice in Palestine rally from campus. She informed the community that she had “increase[d] campus security,” and encouraged students “not to come to campus.” When the rally went ahead off campus, Vernikov attended it with a gun clearly visible. These actions make a mockery of the free speech and academic freedom commitments these university leaders claim to uphold.

In rejecting all criticism of Israel, CUNY administrators are not only at odds with Palestine solidarity activists. They are also against the consensus opinion of regional and international human rights organizations that Israel is an apartheid state and a state that systematically violates international law. This is in no way to condone the death toll of the last ten days – there is no justification for the targeting of civilians in any context.

And there is also no equivalence between the October 7 military operation by Hamas and the subsequent military attack by the Israeli state, and certainly no equivalence to the systemic and the violence of Israeli settler colonialism. Israeli state violence has defined Palestinian life in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip since 1948. The dispossession of Palestinian land by ever-expanding settlements, the construction of Israeli educational institutions on settlement land, the routine incarceration and killing of Palestinian protestors, the eviction of Palestinians and destruction of their homes, and the gunning down of Palestinian and Palestinian-American journalists are but a few examples. The Gaza Strip, described by Human Rights Watch as the world’s largest open-air prison, has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. Everyday life for the over 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, 55% of whom are children and more than 70% of whom are refugees, is crippled by restrictions on access to food, water, medical aid, electricity, and basic life necessities. Israel’s attacks on Gaza in 2008-09, 2014, 2021, and 2022 have resulted in the killing of almost 4,000 Palestinians.

Over the past few days, the situation has worsened considerably. Open calls for the outright elimination of Palestinians are echoing in the United States and abroad. Israel continues its indiscriminate bombing of civilian spaces—homes, schools, universities, hospitals, ambulances—and has cut off the supply of food, water, fuel, and medicine. In just the past week, over 3,000 Palestinians, including more than 1,000 children, have been killed in Israeli air raids. This collective punishment of civilians, whom the Israeli government has long dehumanized and now describes as “human animals,” is illegal under international law. Now, in preparation for a ground invasion of Gaza, more than half of its residents have been ordered to evacuate. More than 600,000 Palestinians have been forced to leave their homes at least once since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Many are calling this forced displacement a second “Nakba” that echoes 1948.      

As CUNY staff and faculty, we applaud all those in our community who refuse to remain silent in the face of an impending genocide. We stand with them in opposition to Israeli occupation, apartheid, and war crimes, and in support of Palestinian liberation. We bear witness as CUNY administrators have caused students, staff, and faculty to be silenced, vilified and even criminalized when they speak or act in support of Palestinian struggles. We pledge to stand up to CUNY management's attempts to censor dissent. We demand that the Chancellor, campus presidents, and all those in leadership positions end the repression and intimidation of Palestine solidarity activists and fulfill our responsibility to equally protect the rights of all members of CUNY.

Signed,

  1. Abdullah Jawad, PhD Student, Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center
  2. Addy Malinowski, PhD student, CUNY Graduate Center
  3. Agnes Eigo, Hunter College
  4. Ajantha Subramanian, Professor of Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center
  5. Alan A. Aja, Professor, Brooklyn College
  6. Alex Wolf, Professor of Biological Sciences, Bronx Community College
  7. Alexa Punnamkuzhyil, GCF, CUNY Graduate Center
  8. Alhaji Conteh, Doctoral Lecturer, Hunter College
  9. Alycia Sellie, Associate Professor, Graduate Center Library
  10. Aman Roy, PhD Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  11. Amanda Long, Graduate Lecturer, Queens College
  12. Amber Jamilla Musser, Professor, CUNY Graduate Center
  13. Ana Djordjevic, Adjunct Lecturer of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College  
  14. Anastasia U, Former Administrator, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  15. Andrea Morrell, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Guttman Community College
  16. Angela Dunne, Adjunct Lecturer, Guttman Community College
  17. Ángeles Donoso Macaya, Professor of Latin American, Latino and Iberian Cultures, The CUNY Graduate Center and BMCC, CUNY
  18. Angelica Nunez, Student, Hostos Community College
  19. Anna Stetsenko, Professor, Psychology and Urban Education, GC CUNY
  20. Anthony Alessandrini, Professor of English & Middle Eastern Studies, Kingsborough Community College & CUNY Graduate Center
  21. Anthony Gronowicz, Adjunct Full Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  22. Anthony O'Brien, Dept. Of English, Queens College (ret.)
  23. Aranzazu Borrachero, Professor, Queensborough Community College
  24. Ariana Mangual Figueroa, Associate Professor, Urban Education and Latin American, Iberian, Latino Cultures CUNY Graduate Center
  25. Asa Mendelsohn, Adjunct Lecturer, Women and Gender Studies, Hunter College
  26. Asima Chaudhary, Assistant Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  27. Atasi Das, Assistant Professor of Childhood Education, Lehman College
  28. Austin Bailey, PhD student, CUNY Graduate Center
  29. Avery Leshan, Student, CUNY School of Law
  30. Babe Howell, Professor, CUNY School of Law
  31. Beena Ahmad, Assistant Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  32. Ben Snyder, Lecturer, Brooklyn College
  33. Benjamin Krusling, Graduate student, CUNY Graduate Center
  34. Beth Ferholt, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Brooklyn College
  35. Bilge Yesil, Associate Professor of Media Culture & Middle Eastern Studies, College of Staten Island and the Graduate Center
  36. Boyda Johnstone, Assistant Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  37. Brett Stoudt, Associate Professor of Psychology, Urban Education, & Social Welfare, CUNY Graduate Center
  38. Britt Munro, Adjunct instructor, PhD student, CUNY Graduate Center
  39. Bronislaw Czarnocha, Professor, Hostos Community College
  40. Bryana Gonzalez, Student, New York City College of Technology (City Tech)
  41. Bruno Gulli, Professor of Philosophy, Kingsborough Community College
  42. Caitlin Cahill, Associate Adjunct Professor, CUNY Graduate Center
  43. Calvin Edward, Graduate Assistant, CUNY Graduate Center
  44. Carmelina Cartei, Adjunct Lecturer, Hunter College
  45. Carol, Adj Asst. Prof, Bronx Community College
  46. Carolina Bank Muñoz, Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College
  47. Caroline K. Hong, Associate Professor of English, Queens College
  48. Charles Post, Professor of Sociology, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  49. Charles Theonia, Alum and former adjunct (+ BMCC and LaGuardia), Brooklyn College
  50. Chaumtoli Huq, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  51. Charisa Smith, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  52. Charles R. Davidson, Interim Assistant Dean, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  53. Christa Salamandra, Professor of Anthropology, Lehman College and the Graduate Center
  54. Christopher Santiago, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Staten Island
  55. Christopher Stone, Associate Professor of Arabic, Hunter College and the MA Program in Middle Eastern Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center
  56. Cinthya Santos Briones, Adjunct, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism
  57. Claire Sternberg, Staff, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  58. Colette Daiute, Professor, Psychology, Educational Psychology, Urban Education, Graduate Center, CUNY
  59. Craig Bernardini, Professor, Hostos Community College
  60. Crystal Schloss-Allen, Admin Exec. Associate, Brooklyn College
  61. Darializa Avila Chevalier, Writing Fellow, CUNY School of Law
  62. Dana Davis, Professor, Urban Studies, Queens College
  63. Daniel Polyak, Adjunct Lecturer, Hunter College
  64. Danny Katch, Adjunct Professor, The City College of New York
  65. Deeadra Brown, Adjunct Lecturer, Hunter College
  66. Derek Ludovici, Adjunct in Anthropology, Brooklyn College
  67. Diane Riskedahl, Distinguished Lecturer, CUNY Graduate Center
  68. Domenick Acocella, Lecturer, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  69. Dominic Wetzel, Associate Professor of Sociology, Kingsborough Community College
  70. Donasia Tillery, Former lecturer, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  71. Dorien Ediger-Seto, Adjunct Professor, CUNY School of Law
  72. Douglas Medina, Instructor, Guttman Community College
  73. Dušana Podlucká, Professor of Psychology, LaGuardia Community College
  74. Eduardo Vianna, Professor of Psychology, LaGuardia and Graduate Center and Urban Education, Graduate Center          
  75. Ellen Dichner, Distinguished Lecturer of Labor Studies, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  76. Elizabeth Oram, Adjunct Lecturer, Hunter College School of Nursing, Retired
  77. Erik Freas, Associate Professor of History, BMCC
  78. Erin Tomlinson, Instructor, CUNY School of Law
  79. Esther Llamas, Higher Education Assistant, Medgar Evers College
  80. Evan Smith, Lecturer, Baruch College
  81. Filip Stabrowski, Professor of Anthropology and Geography, LaGuardia Community College & Graduate Center
  82. Francisca Suarez-Coalla, Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  83. Frank Deale, Professor of Law, CUNY Law School
  84. Gary Wilder, Professor, The Graduate Center, CUNY
  85. Gaurav Jashnani, IRADAC Postdoctoral Fellow, CUNY Graduate Center
  86. Giacomo Bianchino, Adjunct Lecturer in English, Hunter College
  87. Geo Maher, Distinguished Visiting Scholar, CUNY Graduate Center
  88. George Fragopoulos, Associate Professor of English, Queensborough Community College and Associate Professor of Liberal Studies, CUNY Graduate Center
  89. Gerry Martini, Staff, CUNY Graduate Center
  90. Grace Handy, Archivist, Queens College and CUNY Central
  91. Greg Thompson, Associate Professor, The City College of New York
  92. Gul Sonmez, Professor, Lehman College
  93. Hagger Hamed, Adjunct lecturer, The City College of New York
  94. Helene Remiszewska, Assistant Professor of English, Lehman College
  95. Hosu Kim, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Staten Island, and Critical Social Psychology, CUNY Graduate Center
  96. Howard Pflanzer, Adjunct Associate Professor, Hunter College
  97. Ian Olasov, Department of Philosophy, Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center
  98. Ibrahim Bechrouri, Adjunct Assistant Professor, John Jay College
  99. Irene Siegel, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Arabic, Hunter College
  100. Irene Sosa, Professor, Department of TV,Radio and Emerging Media, Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Brooklyn College
  101. Iris Lam, Graduate Student, Baruch College
  102. Isabella Irtifa, PhD student, CUNY Graduate Center
  103. Itsue Nakaya Perez, PhD student, CUNY Graduate Center
  104. Jackie Braje, Adjunct faculty, Brooklyn College
  105. Jackie DiSalvo, Retiree Associate Professor, Baruch College
  106. Jacqueline Nassy Brown, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College and The Graduate Center
  107. Jaime Weida, Assistant Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  108. James Dennis Hoff, Associate Professor of English and Editorial Board Member of Left Voice, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  109. James Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  110. Jane Guskin, Adjunct Lecturer in Urban Studies, Queens College
  111. Janice Keuhnelian, writing tutor, Guttman Community College
  112. Jeanne Theoharis, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College
  113. Jeannette Graulau, Associate Professor, Lehman College
  114. Jeena Shah, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  115. Jen Gaboury, Lecturer, Women and Gender Studies. Hunter College
  116. Jennifer Queenan, Adjunct Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  117. Jeremy Kane, Lecturer, Queens College
  118. Jeremy Randall, Assistant Program Officer, CUNY Graduate Center
  119. Jessie Daniels, Professor of Sociology, Hunter College, CUNY and Professor of Sociology, Critical Social Psychology, & Africana Studies, The Graduate Center, CUNY
  120. Jihyeon Kim, Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  121. Jillian Schwedler, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College and the Graduate Center
  122. Jocelyn Wills, Professor Emerita, Brooklyn College
  123. John Istona, Brooklyn College
  124. John P Pittman, Associate Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice'
  125. John Whitlow, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  126. Jonathan Buchsbaum, Professor of Media Studies (Emeritus), Queens College, CUNY
  127. Jonathan Larson, European Languages and Literatures Faculty, Queens College
  128. Jordan Botello-Alcalá, PhD Student/Teaching Fellow, CUNY Graduate Center
  129. José del Valle, Professor, Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures, Linguistics
  130. Joshua Wilkerson, Adjunct Lecturer, Brooklyn College
  131. Juline Koken, Professor of Health Sciences, LaGuardia Community College
  132. Karen Miller, Professor of History, LaGuardia Community College & Graduate Center
  133. Karen Steele, Retired Administrator, Queensborough Community College
  134. Karl Steel, Professor, Brooklyn College
  135. Karlyn Koh, Professor of English, LaGuardia Community College
  136. Katie Gentile, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, John Jay College and Graduate Center  Keith Rosenthal, History PhD Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  137. Kirsten Maíread Gill, PhD Candidate, CUNY Graduate Center
  138. Kristofer Petersen-Overton, Alumni, CUNY Graduate Center
  139. Kristina Baines, Associate Professor, Guttman Community College
  140. Lark Omura, Adjunct Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  141. Laura Tanenbaum, Professor of English, LaGuardia Community College
  142. Leila Walker, Librarian, Queens College
  143. Leslie McCall, Presidential Professor of Sociology and Political Science, CUNY Graduate Center
  144. Lindsay Parme, Adjunct Lecturer of Anthropology, Brooklyn College
  145. Lynn Horridge, CUNY GC alum; Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Brooklyn College (recent, not current)
  146. Maddy Fox, Associate Professor, Sociology, Brooklyn College
  147. Majella Sheehan, Assistant Program Officer, CUNY Graduate Center
  148. Maram Hallak, Associate Professor of Psychology, BMCC/CUNY
  149. Marc Kagan, Non-Teaching Adjunct, School of Labor and Urban Studies
  150. Marc Lamont Hill, Presidential Professor of Urban Education, CUNY Graduate Center
  151. Marcia Newfield, Adjunct lecturer, BMCC ret.PSC Adjunct Advocate
  152. Margaret Miller, Library Staff, Brooklyn College
  153. María Elena Torre, CUNY Graduate Center
  154. Marianne Madoré, grad student, CUNY Graduate Center
  155. Mariel Acosta, CUNY Graduate Center
  156. Marva Lilly, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Retired
  157. Mary Taylor, CUNY Graduate Center
  158. Matt Brim, Professor of Queer Studies, College of Staten Island & CUNY Graduate Center
  159. Matthew Lau, Associate Professor, Queensborough Community College
  160. Matthew Martin, Writing Tutor, Guttman Community College
  161. Maura McCreight, Adjunct Lecturer, Brooklyn College
  162. Maya Latif, Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  163. Melissa Castillo Planas, Associate Professor of English, CUNY Graduate Center & Lehman College
  164. Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Urban Education, CUNY Graduate Center
  165. Michelle King, Adjunct English Lecturer, Brooklyn College
  166. Miriam Ticktin, Professor of Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center
  167. Mobina Hashmi, Assistant Professor of Television, Radio, and Emerging Media, Brooklyn College
  168. Mohamed Alshami, Campus Peace Officer, Department of Public Safety, Hunter College
  169. Muaad Alody, Assistant Director, Master's in Translational Medicine (MTM), City College
  170. Mudassar Toppa, Staff Attorney, CLEAR Project, CUNY School of Law
  171. Muhammad Ali Khalidi, Presidential Professor of Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center
  172. Nantina Vgontzas, Assistant Professor of Labor Studies, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  173. Naomi Braine, Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College
  174. Naomi Schiller, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center
  175. Natalie Nagpal, CUNY Graduate Center
  176. Nathan Nikolic, Adjunct Lecturer, Baruch College
  177. Naz Ahmad, Adjunct, CUNY School of Law
  178. Neelima Anwara, IT Assistant, CUNY School of Professional Studies
  179. Nermeen Arastu, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  180. Nic Nicoludis, Graduate Assistant and Adjunct, CUNY Graduate Center
  181. Nicolás Montano, Adjunct, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  182. Nikhil Sood, PhD Student, Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center
  183. Ozlem Goner, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Staten Island, and Middle Eastern Studies, Graduate Center
  184. Rebecca Lurie, Adjunct Lecturer, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  185. Rebecca Olerich, Adjunct Instructor/English, New York City College of Technology
  186. Rebecca L. Salois, Lecturer, Black and Latino Studies, Baruch College
  187. Rebecca Smart, Adjunct Lecturer, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  188. Rebecca Teich, Graduate Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  189. Reed Rushes, Alumni, Hunter College
  190. Reiko Tahara, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Hunter College
  191. Renate Bridenthal, Professor (retired), Brooklyn College
  192. Renee Bell, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Lehman College
  193. Rhea Rahman, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Brooklyn College
  194. Rosa Martinez, Writing Tutor, Guttman Community College
  195. Rosalind P. Petchesky, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Graduate Center/Hunter College
  196. Rose M. Kim, Associate Professor of Social Sciences, BMCC/CUNY
  197. Roxanne Shirazi, Assistant Professor and Librarian, CUNY Graduate Center
  198. Rupal Oza, Professor, WGS, Hunter College
  199. Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Professor, EES, CUNY Graduate Center
  200. Ryan Laychak, Graduate Student, Hunter College
  201. Ryan Skrabalak, Alum, Brooklyn College
  202. S. Harris, Adjunct Professor, Queens College
  203. S.E. Hackney, Queens College
  204. Saada Muntasser, Educator, The City College of New York
  205. Sabrina Kissack, Queens College
  206. Salman Hayat, Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  207. Sam Al Khatib, Associate Professor, CUNY Graduate Center
  208. Sarah Wolf, Lecturer, Brooklyn College
  209. Seo-Young Chu, Associate Professor, Queens College
  210. Shaimaa Elsafoury, CUNY SPH alumna former research assistant at CUNY SPH, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
  211. Sheehan Moore, Graduate Assistant, CUNY Graduate Center
  212. Sherry Millner, Professor of Cinema Studies and Media Production, Media Culture Department, College of Staten Island
  213. Shezza Abboushi Dallal, Staff Attorney, CLEAR Project, CUNY School of Law
  214. Shirley Lung, Professor, CUNY School of Law
  215. Silvia Alvarez-Olarra, Associate Professor of Spanish, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  216. Siraj Ahmed, Professor of English, Lehman College & CUNY Graduate Center
  217. Sofya Aptekar, Associate Professor of Urban Studies, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
  218. Soniya Munshi, Associate Professor of Urban Studies, Queens College and Critical Social Psychology, CUNY Graduate Center
  219. Stephanie Boyle Associate Professor of History, New York City College of Technology
  220. Stephen Blum, Professor of Music Emeritus, CUNY Graduate Center
  221. Stephen C. Hosmer, Adjunct Lecturer in English Language Center (now retired), LaGuardia Community College
  222. ​​Steven Swarbrick, Assistant Professor, Baruch College
  223. Stuart Chen-Hayes, Professor, School and Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Lehman College
  224. Stuart Davis, Assistant Professor, Baruch College
  225. Sumeja Tulic, Graduate Assistant, CUNY Graduate Center
  226. Surya Teja Gavva, Doctoral Lecturer, Queens College
  227. Susan Buck-Morris, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, CUNY Graduate Center
  228. Susannah Pittman, The City College of New York
  229. TJ Islam, PhD Student, CUNY Graduate Center
  230. Tanya Agathocleous, Professor of English, Hunter College
  231. Tarek Z. Ismail, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
  232. Tatiana Cozzarelli, Adjunct, Brooklyn College
  233. Terri Ginsberg, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Arabic Program, Hunter College
  234. Thuy Anh Tran, Adjunct Lecturer, Baruch College
  235. Tiffany Wheatland-Disu, Adjunct Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  236. Tim Cusack, Adjunct Lecturer in Theatre, Hunter College
  237. Travis R. Sweatte, Adjunct Professor, Medgar Evers College
  238. Tyler Morse, Alumni, CUNY Graduate Center
  239. Utkarsh Rajawat, Adjunct Lecturer, Brooklyn College
  240. V Gaddy, Hunter College
  241. Valerie Tevere, Professor, Department of Media Culture, College of Staten Island
  242. Varnica Arora, PhD student, CUNY Graduate Center
  243. Yana Kuchirko, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Brooklyn & Graduate Center CUNY
  244. Yve Laris Cohen, Assistant Professor, Hunter College
  245. Zhun Xu, Associate Professor of Economics, John Jay college and Graduate Center
  246. Zoe Griffith, Assistant Professor of History, Baruch College