Dr. Herard is being punished for actions she took to protect UC Irvine students from riot police who had stormed their Palestine solidarity encampment. We want all sanctions against our colleague lifted and all back salary paid immediately.
A court ruling striking down Florida’s Stop WOKE Act is both a major affirmation of academic freedom and a window into the free-speech debates dividing the right.
Over the past year, Harvard University has systematically curtailed, suspended, or restructured every program with a serious focus on studying Palestinian rights. It’s abundantly clear that some views are not welcome on this campus.
In the throes of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, immigration enforcement was becoming embedded within colleges, with little to no community oversight, legal transparency, or guardrails to protect students, faculty, or staff.
Last month, the department conceded that it could not make universities’ race-conscious efforts illegal, but universities nationwide have yet to reinstate their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Leaders of powerful institutions do have a choice. The price of allowing the preferences of any president to dictate the policies and practices of organizations that depend on freedom and autonomy is to destroy the legitimacy of those organizations.
The dismissal of a a renowned health leader who refused to ignore Palestine highlights false claims of universality in human rights, global health and academia. Mary Bassett’s removal is an act of cowardice amid fascist pressure.
“Trump’s higher education policies have been catastrophic for our communities and our democracy,” said one union leader as the president pressures universities to sign a “loyalty oath.”
Doing the Time Warp again
"This offer looked like an invitation, but it wasn't," said Ariel White, vice president of MIT's American Association of University Professors chapter. "It was a ransom note."
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