Higher Education

University Suspends Student Group For Supporting Palestine

January 5, 2024 Tristan Taylor, Left Voice. Resist! Censorship, Higher Education, Israel, New McCarthyism, Ohio, Palestine

The student group of Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists (CORS) has been suspended by Ohio State University. They were notified of the suspension following an event they did on campus entitled “Intifada, Revolution, and the Path for a Free Palestine.” The OSU administration sent a letter December 13 alleging that CORS’ “activities pose a significant risk of substantial harm to the safety or security of your organization’s members, other members of the university community or to university property.” How a meeting to discuss the struggle against a genocidal war by the Zionist state of Israel creates “significant risk of substantial harm” is anyone’s guess.

Open Letter To The Columbia University Administration

December 24, 2023 Rashid Khalidi, Mondoweiss. Resist! Columbia, Free Speech, Higher Education, Palestine, Zionism

Our deans state that the Columbia community should acknowledge “that hearing chanted phrases such as ‘by any means necessary,’ ‘from the river to the sea,’ or calls for an ‘intifada’—irrespective of intentions and provenance—is experienced by many Jewish, Israeli, and other members of our community as antisemitic and deeply hurtful.” They have thus unilaterally decided that no one should rise up [the actual meaning of “intifada”] against 56 years of illegal military occupation; that Palestine should remain unfree from the river to the sea; and that the oppressed should take permission from the oppressor as to the means to relieve their oppression.

The Longest Adjunct Strike In US History Comes To A Close

December 23, 2023 Jeff Schuhrke, In These Times. Resist! Adjunct, Higher Education, Strikes, Victory, Worker Rights and Jobs

The longest adjunct strike in U.S. history ended this week after part-time faculty at Columbia College Chicago voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new four-year contract that will grant them greater job security and more decision-making power over their working conditions. The 49-day strike was led by the Columbia College Faculty Union (CFAC), which represents approximately 600 part-time adjunct instructors at the private, arts-and media-focused institution in Chicago’s South Loop. The tentative agreement was reached on December 17. Eighty-five percent of the membership participated in the ratification vote, with 99.7% approving.

The Selective Silencing Of Campus Speech

December 14, 2023 Kevin Young, Amherst Indy. Educate! Censorship, Free Speech, Higher Education, Palestine, Zionism

“Fears of Violence on Mass. Campuses Are Silencing Many on Israel-Hamas War,” reads a recent news headline from western Massachusetts. The article quotes several professors who say they feel silenced by those who criticize US-Israeli policy. It also quotes several critics of US-Israeli policy who say they feel silenced. What should we make of these dueling claims? The key practical question here is what campus leaders are doing to protect free speech. It’s problematic whenever an individual infringes on another’s free-speech rights, but what’s most important is how administrators respond. They’re the ones who set policies and they also exercise the most influence over campus culture.

University Of Michigan Administration Caves To Zionist Pressure

December 10, 2023 Brian H. Silverstein, Left Voice. Resist! Anti-War, Higher Education, Israel, Michigan, Palestine, Repression, Zionism

Last week, the University of Michigan student body was set to vote on a resolution calling for the university to recognize the genocide in Gaza and to assess the ethics of the institution’s investments, including investments in the State of Israel. The campaign has been led by the Tahrir Coalition, a broad and diverse group of over 60 student organizations. As the vote was underway, the university administration buckled to pressure from a coalition of off-campus Zionist organizations and canceled the vote, citing improper use of a university listserv to promote the vote. Michigan Hillel, with the support of an off-campus Zionist coalition including Maccabee Task Force, the Anti-Defamation League, Stand With Us, The iCenter, and the Israel Forever Foundation, raised $46,000 to influence the student vote and promote their own pro-Zionist resolution.

Faculty Of Largest US Public University System Strikes, Demanding 12% Raise

December 4, 2023 Dani Anguiano, The Guardian. Resist! California, Higher Education, Income disparity, Strikes, Worker Rights and Jobs

California State University faculty at four campuses went on strike on Monday to demand higher pay and expanded parental leave for thousands of workers at the largest public university system in the US. The California Faculty Association, which represents 29,000 workers, is staging one-day work stoppages at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; San Francisco State University; California State University, Los Angeles and California State University, Sacramento. The union is seeking a 12% salary raise and an increase in parental leave from six weeks to a full semester for professors, librarians and other workers. They also want more manageable workloads for faculty, better access to breastfeeding stations and more gender-inclusive restrooms.

Laney Graduate Students Vote To Unionize

November 30, 2023 Ilah Ross, Portside. Organize! Georgia, Graduate Students, Higher Education, The South, Unions, Worker Rights and Jobs

Laney Graduate School students have voted to unionize after years of advocacy, making Emory University the first private university to have a graduate-worker union in Georgia and the second in the South. EmoryUnite! is now officially recognized as a union under the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), meaning Emory administration is required to enter negotiations with graduate students. EmoryUnite! announced the results in a Nov. 28 Instagram post. In total, 909 students (92.6%) voted in favor of unionization while 73 students (7.4%) voted against unionization during the election on Oct. 17 and 18, according to the post. Of the approximately 1,700 Laney Ph.D. students eligible to vote in the election, 982 (57.8%) participated.

After Wave Of Protest, Hunter College Reverses Israel Movie Cancellation

November 25, 2023 John Tarleton, The Indypendent. Resist! Censorship, Higher Education, Israel, New York City (NYC), Palestine

On Tuesday, Hunter College Interim President Ann Kirschner reversed her decision to ban a movie about young Jewish-Americans exploring their disenchantment with Israel one week after she set off a firestorm of criticism at the CUNY campus. It will now be shown at Hunter by Dec. 5, Kirschner promised. “This represents the power of what the faculty, students and our union did when the president unilaterally canceled our event,” said Tami Gold, a professor of film and media studies at Hunter. The movie, Israelism, is co-directed by Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen. It was inspired by their experiences of traveling to Israel and witnessing the brutal treatment of Palestinians which was at odds with the image of Israel that they had been raised to unconditionally love.

Academic Workers, Students Pledge To Fight Attacks Against Organizers

November 22, 2023 CUNY4Palestine, Left Voice. Resist! Censorship, Higher Education, Israel, Palestine

Since the start of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, there has been an upsurge in resistance to U.S. support to the Israeli apartheid state. This has been particularly strong on college campuses, with students organizing walkouts, sit-ins, and protests in solidarity with Palestine. These actions and internationalism continue the spirit and legacy of the student movement against the Vietnam War and against apartheid South Africa. Students and academic workers have experienced massive repression from university administrations, from the government, and from Zionists both on and off of campus. SJP was banned from Florida and both SJP and JVP were suspended from Columbia University.

California Faculty Prepare For First Strike In 12 Years

November 22, 2023 Owen Lavine, Labor Notes. Resist! California, Higher Education, Strikes, Worker Rights and Jobs

Faculty at 23 California State University campuses are preparing to strike. They teach nearly half a million students. After 95 percent of voting members authorized a strike on October 30, the 29,000-member California Faculty Association plans to roll out strikes at Cal Poly Pomona December 4, San Francisco State University December 5, Cal State Los Angeles December 6 and Sacramento State University December 7. The CFA reopened four broad sections of their contract in May, demanding a 12 percent salary increase, more manageable workloads, more counselors for students, the right to counsel when approached by campus police, more paid leave, and more lactation rooms and gender neutral bathrooms and changing rooms on campuses.

Students Form Coalition To Counter Crackdown On Palestine Activism

November 18, 2023 Michael Arria, Mondoweiss. Resist! Columbia University, Higher Education, Israel, New McCarthyism, Palestine

More than 40 Columbia University student groups have formed a coalition to demand that the school divest from Israeli apartheid. The launch of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) comes shortly after the administration suspended the groups Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) from campus. The coalition was announced on Tuesday night, at a protest that drew hundreds of faculty and students. In addition to the divestment demand, CUAD (which includes Columbia Law Students for Palestine, Sunrise Columbia, and Young Democratic Socialists of America) is also calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the cancellation of a new Columbia campus in Tel Aviv, and the suspension on SJP and JVP to be lifted.

Cornell Graduate Students United Wins Unionization Election

November 13, 2023 Jonathan Mong and Matthew Kiviat, Portside. Organize! Graduate Students, Higher Education, New York (NY), Unions, Worker Rights

Cornell graduate students have won their unionization election by a vote of 1,873 to 80, and will federate as Cornell Graduate Students United — an organization fighting for the rights of graduate workers — under the national United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America union. 128 ballots were challenged, but not counted because they would not have determined the outcome of the election. Voting occurred on the Ithaca campus between Nov. 6 and Nov. 8, as well as on Nov. 6 at the Geneva campus and at New York City’s Cornell Tech campus. Of the 3,175 eligible voters, 1,953 voted in the election.

Columbia University Suspends Students For Justice In Palestine

November 12, 2023 Michael Arria, Mondoweiss. Educate! Censorship, Higher Education, Palestine, Student Activism

Columbia University says its suspending two campus Palestine groups. In a statement posted on the school’s website Senior Executive Vice President of the University and Chair of the Special Committee on Campus Safety Gerald Rosberg said the university is suspending Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) for the remainder of the fall term. “This decision was made after the two groups repeatedly violated University policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” reads the statement.

Pro-Palestine Dartmouth Students Want A ‘New Deal’ For Their School

November 7, 2023 Mel Buer, The Real News Network. Resist! Dartmouth, Divestment, Higher Education, Israel, New Hampshire, Palestine, Student Activism

Since October 7th, student activists on campuses across the country have been organizing rallies against Israeli apartheid and vigils for the thousands of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. Activists at Dartmouth College are among those groups, organizing a sustained vigil outside Dartmouth’s administration building, Parkhurst Hall. Days into the continuous vigil, student organizers released The Dartmouth New Deal, a document that outlined a progressive vision for the college and included explicit demands that Dartmouth divest itself from the military-industrial complex that enables Israeli Apartheid.

City College’s 1940s Fight Against Political Repression: Lessons For Today

October 31, 2023 Olivia Wood, Left Voice. Strategize! Higher Education, History, Israel, McCarthyism, New York City (NYC), Palestine, Student Activism, Worker Rights and Jobs

Students, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities across the United States and the world are facing an unusually high level of repression for speaking out in support of Palestinians. A city councilwoman brought a gun to a protest outside of Brooklyn College. Billboard trucks displaying the faces and names of pro-Palestine activists are circling the block at Harvard and Columbia. Students are having their job offers revoked. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is trying to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from all Florida schools. Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate unanimously voted a resolution condemning the student protests as “pro-Hamas” and encouraging the U.S. government to “fully and completely support Israel.”

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