Op-Ed | An open letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel

Dear Chancellor Joan Gabel, 

We, a group of University of Pittsburgh educators, are standing in solidarity with the students who established the “liberated zone” in support of Palestine on Schenley Plaza. Across the country, university administrations have taken punitive measures such as suspensions, expulsions and arrests against students using their freedom of speech in establishing Gaza solidarity encampments to protest ongoing violence in Gaza and to call for University disinvestment from the war on Gaza. We call on the University of Pittsburgh to set a different example, one that upholds our students’ civil rights and refrains from using force or intimidation to suppress students’ free speech. 

At the University of Pittsburgh, numerous student organizations across campus have created a coalition working in support of the Palestinian-led movement calling for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel following the precedent set during past boycotts of apartheid South Africa. The “liberated zone” is an expression of these students’ discontent and demands for justice and University divestment. Their dedication to human rights and justice should be celebrated by the University. 

As educators, we believe in fostering conscientious citizens willing to stand up against injustice, especially at this historic moment when university students nationwide are rising to have their voices heard. We stand with these students who are critically engaging with the world and their role within it. As such, we call for the University to refrain from any legal and disciplinary action for all encampment participants. We also call for the University to refrain from calling the police or threatening to arrest, suspend or expel students for their activism. Finally, as an institution dependent on our students, we call for the university to fulfill its moral obligation to engage in good-faith conversations with students’ demands. 

In solidarity,

1. Stephanie Love, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
2. Elaine Linn, Assist Dir for Academic Affairs, Global Studies Center
3. Omid Shekari, Assistant Professor, Studio Art, Dietrich
4. Raed El Rafei, Assistant Professor, English Department
5. Darlène Dubuisson, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, Dietrich
6. Steve Goldstein, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, Dietrich
7. Emily Wanderer, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
8. R.A. Judy, Professor, English
9. Tanzeen Rashed Doha, Visiting Assistant Professor, Anthropology
10. Crystal N. Eddins, Associate Professor, Sociology, Dietrich
11. Lisa D. Brush, Professor and Chair, Sociology DSAS
12. Anonymous, Sociology, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
13. Zachary Sheldon, Visiting Assistant Professor, Anthropology
14. Melanie M. Hughes, Professor, Sociology, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences
15. Nancy Fultz, Teaching Assistant Professor, Sociology
16. Mohammed Bamyeh, Professor, Sociology
17. Michael Goodhart, Professor, Political Science
18. Niklas Frykman, Associate Professor, History
19. Marcus Rediker, Distinguished Professor, History/Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
20. Pernille Røge, Associate Professor, Department of History, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
21. Ruth Mostern, Professor, DSAS – History
22. Sabina Vaught, Professor, School of Education
23. Barbara McCloskey, Professor, History of Art and Architecture
24. T. Elon Dancy II, Ph.D., Helen S. Faison Endowed Chair, Education Foundations, Org, and Policy/School of Education
25. Jabeen Adawi, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, School of Law
26. Jules Lobel, Professor of Law, Law
27. Alexandra Weiner, Part-time Instructor, Department of Mathematics, Dietrich
28. Anonymous, Visiting lecturer, Sociology, Dietrich
29. Martez Files, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Black Studies in Teacher Education, Teaching, Learning, and Leading
30. Anonymous, Economics
31. Dr. Scott Heath, Visiting Assistant Professor, Africana Studies
32. John Stoner, Teaching Professor, History/Dietrich
33. Peng Hai, Assistant Professor, DSAS-History
34. Beatrice Dias, Assistant Professor, School of Education
35. Michael E. Sawyer, Associate Professor, Department of English
36. Rashad Williams, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
37. Alveena shah, Assistant Professor, Law
38. Lisa Ortiz, Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leading; School of Education
39. Angie Ocampo-Roland, Assistant Professor, Political Science – Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
40. Brooke Shannon, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA)
41. Tomas Matza, Associate Professor, Anthropology
42. Gabby Yearwood, Teaching Professor, Anthropology, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences
43. Hillary Lazar, Visiting Lecturer, Sociology, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences
44. Yasmine Flodin-Ali, Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies
45. Victor Figuereo, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
46. Joy Priest, Assistant Professor, English
47. Eladio B. Bobadilla, Assistant Professor, History, Dietrich
48. Litzy Galarza, Assistant Professor, Communication, Dietrich School of Arts & Science
49. Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor, History and Philosophy of Science, A&S