To President Shafik & Dean Begg,

We, the undersigned, write to you as alumni of Columbia School of Social Work to express our unwavering support for the courageous student organizers of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. We are disgusted by your decision to use police intervention against peaceful student protestors for questioning the University’s connections to institutions profiting from Israeli apartheid.

As graduates of the Columbia School of Social Work, we are heartened by the dedication and passion exhibited by the current students in their commitment to social justice and the plight of the Palestinian people. The demands they have articulated resonate with the core principles of social work we were taught at CSSW: We have an ethical obligation as social workers to advocate for social justice, human rights, and the welfare of marginalized and oppressed communities.

We condemn the mass arrest of students, including Legal Observers, who were peacefully advocating against the assault on Gaza. We also denounce the unprecedented levels of censorship imposed on these students and the unjust circumvention of due process in disciplinary actions taken against them. We demand the immediate dropping of trespassing charges against students and the reversal of unjust suspensions. It is imperative that you cease the University’s prejudiced treatment and broad incitement against your students for their principled support of Palestinian liberation.

You circulated an email within the University community, stating your authorization for the NYPD to forcibly remove the students under the pretext that the encampment and related disruptions posed a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University. This assessment, however, starkly contradicts statements from the NYPD itself, whose leadership clarified that they made no determination of a “clear and present danger” and only acted at your behest due to alleged trespass violations. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell explicitly stated that the identification of a “clear and present danger” originated from Columbia, not the NYPD, and emphasized that the arrested students were peaceful, offering no resistance and expressing themselves in a peaceful manner. The actions initiated by the institution serve as the antithesis of the proud history of advocacy and protest they claim to honor and currently profit from.

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Columbia University Apartheid Divest in their demands. Until the University acknowledges and acts upon their demands, we pledge to withhold our monetary support and participation. We firmly believe that academic institutions must uphold the principles of academic freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights for all members of their community. Until these principles are upheld, we will continue to stand united in our boycott.

In Solidarity,
Alumni of Columbia School of Social Work