The San Diego Faculty Association and the undersigned faculty are shocked and outraged by UC San Diego’s decision to send riot police, including off-campus law enforcement, to arrest student protesters on May 6. Monday, on the first day of Justice in Palestine week, riot police arrested dozens of student protesters and medical personnel before any evidence of negotiations with student organizers. The militarized response created an unsafe space on campus, going so far as to post snipers atop the Student Health building. We strongly condemn the recent repression of students across the country and express our unmitigated support for the rights of students to engage in protest and dissent on their campuses and beyond. We echo the sentiment of a UC-wide faculty letter that “protest is essential to our democracy and a basic human right” and that retaliation against students who protest is “antithetical to our university’s highest ideals of learning and scholarship.” The militarized response has only chilled free speech, escalated tensions, reduced safety on campus, and destroyed the trust needed for negotiations and shared governance. We invite UCSD faculty to sign this letter. We call on our administration to respect principles of free speech and shared governance.
Specifically, we condemn the retaliatory actions already taken by UC San Diego Administration against student protesters, including arrests, suspension and threats of suspension. This followed a week of intimidating behavior, including threats and lockouts of student spaces by administration, as documented by students and media. These threats and lockdowns make our community less, not more, safe, especially for students with lived experiences of traumatic and punitive systems. We are especially troubled by the administration’s repeated turn to “safety,” including language in Chancellor Khosla’s May 5th email, to justify retaliation against students. His claim that encampment activities are “dangerous” and pose a safety concern stand in contrast to mainstream media descriptions of the campus protest.
We call on Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, AVC of Student Life Patricia Mahaffey, and VC for Student Affairs and Campus Life Alysson Satterlund, to respect the rights of free speech and dissent of the entire UC San Diego community, including and especially our students.
We demand:
- Reversal of recent suspensions. UCSD’s administration should immediately reverse their decision to suspend student protesters for exercising their right to free speech. Concerns related to health, safety, space, sanitation, and facilities can be resolved without punitive measures.
- No suspensions, no retaliation. Do not academically discipline students or student organizations who participate in protest or exercise their free speech. Do not retaliate against UC graduate students, lecturers, staff, Senate faculty, employees, or community members who participate in protest or exercise their free speech. Drop existing disciplinary cases against student demonstrators.
- Drop any charges, no further arrests and, no declarations of orderly demonstrations as unauthorized. Do not mark orderly student demonstrations as targets for vigilante or police violence. Do not arrest students, graduate students, lecturers, staff, Senate faculty, or community members for presence at or participation in campus demonstrations.
Signatories
Lilly Irani, Associate Professor, Communication
Shelley Streeby, Professor, Literature and Ethnic Studies
Michelle Lou, Asst Professor, Music
Lynne Talley, Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Kenneth Loh, Professor, Structural Engineering
Celeste Pilegard, Associate Teaching Professor, Psychology
David Serlin, Professor, Communication
Jonathan Cohen, professor, philosophy
Samuel Elgin, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Jody Blanco, Professor, Literature
Christopher Perreira, Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies
Daniel Mansour, Graduate Student, MAE
Ana Maria Alvarez, Associate Faculty, Theater + Dance Department
Krisztina Buti, Rady School of Management
Javier Duarte, Associate Professor, Physics
Karen Kovaka, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Khela Singer, Academic Advisor, TMC
Morana Alac, Professor, Communication
Tom Vogl, Associate Professor, Economics
Christo Sims, Associate Professor, Communication
Grant Kester, Professor of Art History, Visual Arts Department
Lizzy Gomez, Student Care & Accountability Specialist, Thurgood Marshall College
Abigail Andrews, Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Planning
Andrew Devereux, Associate Professor, History
Nadia Brashier, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Joseph Hankins, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Shadi Dayeh, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Yael M V Rangel, TA, LAS
Deborah Stein, Associate Professor, Theatre & Dance
Aaron J. Rosengren, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jade Power-Sotomayor, Assistant Prof, Theatre and Dance
David FitzGerald, Professor, Sociology
Jordan Rose, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts
Yuhwa Lo, Professor, ECE
Kara Mack, Lecturer, Theater and Dance
Joo Ok Kim, Associate Professor, Literature
Mysia Anderson-White, Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance
Emily Clem, Assistant Professor, Linguistics
Simeon Man, Associate Professor, History
Ariana Ruiz, Assistant Professor, Literature
Luis Martin-Cabrera, Professor, Literature/Latin American Studies
Dhananjay Bambah-Mukku, Assistant Professor, Psychology
Amy Sara Carroll, Associate Professor, Literature
Erin Suzuki, Associate Professor, Literature
Sarah Schneewind, Professor, History
Babak Rahimi, Associate Professor, Department of Literature
Melissa Cabrera, Student, Biochemistry
Jac Jemc, Professor, Literature
Gloria E. Chacón, Associate Professor, Literature
Rishika Mehrishi, Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance
Oumelbanine Zhiri, Professor, Literature
Sara Johnson, Professor, Literature
Ricardo Dominguez, Professor and Chair, Visual Arts
Janelle Iglesias, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts
LaGina Gause, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Mariana R Wardwell , Associate Professor, Visual Arts
Kendall Morris, UCSD Undergraduate Student, Ethnic Studies
Grace Jun, Continuing Lecturer, Theatre & Dance
Tage Rai, Assistant Professor of Management, Rady school of management
Julie Burelle, Associate Professor, Theatre and Dance
Curtis Marez, Professor, Ethnic Studies
Amy Non, Full Professor, Anthropology
Gershon Shafir, Professor, Sociology
Alexandra Bighouse
Brandon Som, Associate Professor, Literature
Wael Al-Delaimy, Professor, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health
Abigail Ferrales, Scripps
Michael Calderon-Zaks, Lecturer, Sociology
Daunte Nabi Fyall, Lecturer, Professor, Theatre & Dance
Charles Curtis, Professor, Music
Bea Laraya
Deboráh Funez, Undergraduate, Sociology-International Studies
Suzanne Brenner, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Mohan Trivedi, Distinguished Professor, Engineering
Carolyn Kurle, Professor, Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences
Saiba Varma, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Tara Javidi, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Brett Stalbaum, Teaching Professor, Visual Arts
Wilfrido Terrazas, Associate Professor, Music
James Rauch, Professor, Economics
Page duBois, Distinguished Professor, Literature
Amro Hamdoun, Professor, SIO
Hentyle Yapp, Associate Professor, Theater and Dance
Daunte Nabi Fyall, Lecturer, Theatre & Dance
Anna Joy Springer, Associate Professor, Literature
Marcos Duran, Lecturer, Theatre and Dance
Aysan Celik, Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance
Sutanu Sarkar, Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Kazim Ali, Professor, Literature
Jin-kyung Lee, Associate professor, Literature
Gabriela Caballero, Professor, Linguistics
Brian Goldfarb, Associate Professor, Communication
Rihan Yeh, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Skai Cachapero, UCSD Alumni, Communication Department
Joseph Corrales, Lecturer, Theatre and Dance
Raymond Quilario, Student
Daniel Vitkus, Professor, Literature
Behrouz Touri, Associate Professor, ECE
William Griswold, Professor, CSE
ignacio carvajal, assistant professor, literature
Christen Sasaki, Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies
Sharon Rose, Professor, Linguistics
Paul Sepuya, Associate Professor, MFA Faculty Director, Visual Arts
Casandra Lopez, Assistant Professor, Literature
Wendy Matsumura, Associate Professor, History
Katie Walkiewicz, Associate Professor, Literature
holly johnston, lecturer, Theater Arts and Dance
Rosaura Sanchez, Professor Emerita, Literature
Ameeth Vijay, Associate Professor, Literature
Stephanie Richards, Professor, Music
Rebecca Jo Plant, Professor, History
Malik Gaines, associate professor, Visual Arts
Adam Aron, Professor, Psychology
Lilly Irani, Associate Professor, Communication
Rebecca Fielding-Miller, Associate Professor, Herbert Wertheim school of public health
Aram Grigoryan, Assistant Teaching Professor, Economics
Nancy H. Kwak, Associate Professor, History, Urban Studies and Planning
Lisa Cartwright, Professor, Visual Arts
Kelly Gates, Associate Professor, Communication
Garrison Cottrell, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
Memo Akten, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts
Cher Anabo, Lecturer, Dance
Jennifer Rose Carr, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
Adam Burgasser, Professor, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Megan Wesling, Associate Professor, Literature
Vanessa Stalling, Associate Professor of Directing, Theatre and Dance
Ben Cowan, Professor, History
Ivano Caponigro, Professor, Linguistics
Jade d’Alpoim Guedes, Adjunct Professor, Anthropology
Nadir Weibel, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
Lora Powell, Assistant Teaching Professor, T & D
Hasan Kayali, Professor, History
April Lukowski, Assistant Professor, SIO
Xuanting Hao, Assistant Professor, MAE/SIO
Brandon Seward, Associate Professor, Mathematics
Amy Cimini, Associate Professor, Music
Robert Edelman, Professor Emeritus, History
Manuel Shvartzberg Carrió , Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Planning
Carolina Montejo, Lecturer, Muir College
Jeremy Prestholdt, Professor, History
Stanley Lo, Teaching Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology
Alex Fattal, Associate Professor, Communication
Jocelyn Zepeda
Verónica Martínez-Matsuda, Associate Professor, History
Isabella Restrepo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Ethnic Studies
Gary Fields, Professor, Department of Communication
Lorena Mostajo, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts
Daniel Widener, Director, Institute of Arts and Humanities
Géraldine Fiss, Associate Teaching Professor, Literature
Alessandro Marinoni, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Sarah Stockwell, Associate Teaching Professor Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Stuart Geiger , Assistant Professor, Communication; Data Science
Michael, Professor, Philosophy
Alison D. Smith, Lecturer, Theatre and Dance
Vanesa Ribas, Associate Professor, Sociology
Julia Sloane, Lecturer, Anthropology, Global Health and Human Developmental Sciences
Camille F. Forbes, Associate Professor, Literature
LaTisha Hammond, Assistant Teaching Professor, Ecology, Behavior and Evolution
Claire Meaders, Assistant Teaching Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology
Bright Gyamfi, Assistant Professor, History
- Myrta Leslie Santana, Assistant Professor, Music
Clinton Tolley, Professor, Philosophy
Anasofia Vildosola, Student, Visual Arts
Sofía Moncada-López,Urban Studies and Planning
Nayana Trivedi, MD, Scripps Hospitalist
Alireza S Golsefidy, Professor, Mathematics
Karin Sandstrom, Associate Professor, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rayan Saab, Professor, Mathematics and Data Science
Michelle Camaya, Temporary Lecturer in Dance, Theatre & Dance
Sam Museus, Professor, Ethnic Studies
Christine Nguyen, Alumni, Molecular and Cell Biology
Yi-Zhuang You, Assistant Professor, Physics
Yen Le Espiritu, Distinguished Professor, Ethnic Studies
Jorge Hirsch, Professor, Department of Physics
Cory Miller, Professor, Psychology
Francisco Garfias, Associate Professor, School of Global Policy and Strategy
Anthony Burr, Professor, Music
Elana Zilberg, Associate Professor, Communication
Dredge Kang, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
Sam Museus, Professor, Ethnic Studies
Annie Thuy Nguyen, Student, Psychology
Ross Frank, Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies
Roy Perez, Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies
Andrew Jolivette, Professor and Chair, Ethnic Studies
Loren Looger, Professor, Neurosciences
Craig Callender, Professor, Philosophy
Varykina Thackray, Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Valerie Soon, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Juan Carlos Blanco, Dance Lecturer, Theatre and Dance
Neil Gong, Assistant professor, Sociology
Claire Edington, Associate Professor, History
Graham Bishop, Lecturer, Synthesis Program
Tari Gilbert, Nurse practitioner, Medicine
Isabel Trevino, Associate Professor, Economics
Ashley Juavinett, Associate Teaching Professor, Neurobiology
Carol Arcos H., Assistant Professor, Literature
Beatrice Pita, Lecturer, Literature, Retired, Dept. of Literature
Holly Okonkwo, Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies
Kirstyn Hom, Lecturer, Synthesis, Seventh College
Max Adams, Staff/Alumni, EDI
Will Styler, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Linguistics
Jeff Gagnon, Assistant Teaching Professor, Warren College
Phoebe Bronstein, Associate Teaching Prof
Cat Gunn, Lecturer, Visual Arts
Jorge Mariscal, Professor Emeritus, Literature/TMC Dimensions of Culture
Sarah Creel, Professor, Cognitive Science
Julie Çelebi, Associate Clinical Professor, Family Medicine
Shaista Patel, Assistant Professor of Critical Muslim Studies, Ethnic Studies
Timothy Carr, Teacher, The Preuss School UCSD
Ryan Scott, Teacher, The Preuss School
Patricia Marechal, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Tricia Gallagher-Geurtsen, Lecturer, Education Studies
Indira Esparza Galeana, The Preuss School UCSD Teacher, The Preuss School
Mica Pollock, Professor, Education Studies
Niall Twohig, Lecturer, Warren Writing
Janna Dickenson, Assistant Teaching Professor, Psychology
Gabriel Bámgbóṣé, Assistant Professor, Literature
Tina Hyland, Lecturer, Sixth College
Monte Johnson, Professor, Philosophy
David Fortunato, Associate Professor, School of Global Policy and Strategy
Haleema Welji, Lecturer, Warren Writing Program
Sherice Clarke, Assistant Professor, Education Studies
Adriana Tosun, Lecturer, Sixth College Writing Program
Dayna Kalleres, Associate Professor, Literature & Program for the Study of Religion
Karen Dobkins, Professor, Psychology
Emma Uriarte, Lecturer, Warren Writing
Akos Rona-Tas, Professor, Sociology
BT Werner, Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Sulaiman Morgan, Alumnus, ERC Econ
Becca Rose, Lecturer, Sixth College
Leila Whitley, Lecturer, Critical Gender Studies
Megan Strom, Continuing Lecturer, Dimensions of Culture
Amy Kennemore, Lecturer, Latin American Studies
Danielle Raudenbush, Associate Professor, Sociology
Lily Hoang, Full Professor, Literature
Amanda Martin Sandino, Lecturer, Critical Gender Studies
Erin Hill, Asst Professor, Communication
Matthew Vitz, Associate Professor, History
April Sutton, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Andrea Chiba, Professor, Cognitive Science and Program in Neuroscience
Tage Rai, Assistant Professor of Management, Rady School of Management
Tala Alrousan, Assistant Professor, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health
Stephanie Jed, Professor Emerita, Literature
Patty Ahn, Associate Teaching Professor, Communication
Liang Yang, Physics, Physics
Mary Blair-Loy, Professor, Department of Sociology
Jacqueline Siapno, Continuing Lecturer, Global South Studies & Environmental Studies Programs
Christina Brown, Student- AVID Educator, Anthropology – Climate Change & Human Solutions
Aranya Lahiri, SEW visiting assistant professor, Mathematics
Gabi Laske, Professor, SIO
Julia Ortony, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Rosie C. Bermudez, Assistant professor, History
Juan José Rojo Solis, Adjunct lecturer, Communication
holly johnston, lecturer, Dance
Samuel Museus, Professor, Ethnic Studies
Shishir Agrawal, SEW Visiting Assistant Professor Mathematics
Marco Carfagnini, Mathematics
Don MacLeod, Emeritus Professor, Psychology
Nir Shafir, Assistant Professor, History
Belal Alkhiami, Assistant professor of Medicine, Medical school
Karl Gerth, Professor, History
Nydia Pineda de Avila, Assistant Professor, History
Dr. Fahad Khan, Medical Director/Staff Ophthalmologist, Ophthalmology
Jacobo Myerston, Associate Professor, Literature
Adrian Arancibia, Professor, English
Nadia Heninger, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
Kelema Moses, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Planning
Gary Fields, Professor, Department of Communication
Bonnie Kaiser, Associate Professor, Anthropology
David Pedersen, Assoc. Professor, Anthropology
Keith Pezzoli, Senior Teaching Professor, Urban Studies and Planning
José I. Fusté, Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies
Zeinabu Davis, Professor, Communication
Cathy Gere, Professor, History
Anthony Harb, Assistant Professor, Communication
Juan Pablo Pardo Guerra, Associate Professor, Sociology
Taylor Berg-Kirkpatrick, Associate professor, Computer Science and Engineering
Peggy Lott, Senior Continuing Lecturer & Academic Coordinator, Linguistics
Sarah McTague, Lecturer, Urban Studies and Planning
Alejandro Rodríguez Aispuro, Lecturer, Linguistics
Robert Castro, Professor of Theatre & Dance, Director, Chicanx and Latinx Studies
Christian Klevdal, Visiting Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Zhe Zhang, Assistant Professor, School of Management
Leslie R Lewis, Continuing Lecturer, Urban Studies and Planning