President Linda Mills, Dean Antonio Merlo, Dean Lynn Kiorpes, Provost Georgina Dopico:

As alumni of the NYU Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC-UAW 2110), we are deeply disturbed by NYU’s decision to take punitive actions against graduate workers, undergraduate students and faculty for taking part in a peaceful action at Bobst Library on December 11, 2024. Among those targeted were five GSOC-UAW 2110 members, all of whom are active in the union’s Political Solidarity Committee. Disciplinary investigations, suspensions, and probationary measures have rendered these union members unable to work, study, or access services afforded them via their doctoral fellowship. We stand with GSOC in calling NYU’s actions against peaceful grad workers a witchhunt. We condemn NYU’s attempts to unjustly fire union workers in violation of GSOC’s union contract.

The right to protest in the university and against the university is integral to protecting and fostering academic freedom. Protests at Bobst Library, which houses the offices of NYU leadership, have  been central to GSOC’s labor actions in the past. Many of us, former GSOC members, have been part of similar actions in Bobst Library in the past without facing such punitive actions from NYU. NYU’s increasingly repressive attitude towards such protests is deeply concerning. It is clear to us that NYU’s anti-Palestinian position goes hand-in-hand with its anti-labor position.

We are disappointed that NYU continues its repressive stance against pro-Palestinian voices and opposition to the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza. NYU has yet again shown its complicity in this genocide, and demonstrated its clear disregard for academic rights, freedom of speech, and labor rights, especially when it comes to Palestine. We demand that NYU rescind these suspensions and withdraw all sanctions against students who have raised their voices for an end to the documented genocide occurring in Palestine.

Unless NYU withdraws sanctions against GSOC members for pro-Palestine protests, we pledge as GSOC alumni to refuse participation in all NYU-sponsored events. This includes declining invitations as well as withdrawing from commitments already made for workshops, conferences, talks, lectures, and screenings. Moreover, we commit to rejecting alumni donation requests from NYU and highlighting NYU’s anti-Palestinian and anti-labor stance to prospective NYU graduate students.

We understand that these actions may cause an inconvenience to our collaborators and even our own work. However, we take these actions to be justified in the face of NYU’s unjust actions against GSOC members and pro-Palestine speech. We proudly note that GSOC has upheld the global call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for Palestinian rights since 2016, and it is from our time in GSOC that we know that when workers’ rights and movements for justice are under attack, we must all stand up and fight back.

Signed,

For a full list of the 100+ GSOC Alumni who have pledged, please see here.