October 14, 2024

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From Kalapuya lands in the Willamette watershed

Faculty and staff to UO: Refrain from escalation

11 min read
We will not stand idly by if students participating in this peaceful demonstration receive discipline notices, arrest, or any punishment related to exercising these rights...We call upon university administration to engage in discussion and negotiation with the participating students on their demands rather than escalation through the use of discipline, force or repression.

University of Oregon Faculty & Staff are proud to support the student Gaza Solidarity encampment and urge UO administration to refrain from escalation

We, as faculty and staff members at the University of Oregon, stand in solidarity with our students who are exercising their fundamental rights to protest injustice, hold their institution accountable, and exercise academic freedom. We stand in opposition to police repression and the suspension, expulsion, or retaliation against students currently participating in the Gaza solidarity encampment on campus that we have seen at other campuses across the country including the brutal crackdown on May 2 at Portland State University. At least 2,000 people have been arrested at college campuses across the country in this historic moment in the longstanding movement for Palestinian human rights. We affirm our students’ right to protest the genocide being committed in Gaza and fight for the end to settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing and violent displacement of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel. We also denounce Islamophobia, antisemitism and racism in all forms. 

While we have many other concerns about the university’s response to and complicity in the genocide in Gaza, most pressing of those for us is the safety and well-being of our students participating in the encampment. We currently have significant concern about potential escalation at the hands of the UO administration. We are concerned that although it has been stated by administration that there is no current plan to remove protestors from the encampment, students in the encampment were hand-delivered an official notice that threatened “legal consequences of non-compliance, such as student disciplinary action, arrest, and punishment for trespass and disorderly conduct.” We are concerned that President Scholz stated in his original response to the students demands letter that the leadership team would not engage in dialogue with the students with the reason cited that the current encampment “violates university policy.” This comes after failing to engage in productive dialogue with these same students after being given many opportunities to do so, including following numerous other student organized actions (several rallies, marches, speak outs, a sit-in) over the last several months before the encampment began. While we appreciate the efforts to engage in discussions with student organizers up to this point, we are concerned that the safety and rights of the students participating are not being prioritized and that their reasonable demands are not being taken seriously by the administration. 

This encampment is not acting in any way that threatens the safety of our campus community. The students participating in the encampment are engaging in an act of peaceful protest while simultaneously engaging in educational discussions and critically important dialogue, some of which has been led by UO faculty members. What does threaten the safety of our campus community, and most importantly the students participating in the encampment, are 1) potential police/violent repression and 2) harassment and potential violence by counterprotesters which students participating in the encampment have already experienced. If the university’s top priority is truly safety, we expect that sentiment to extend to the students exercising their right to protest. The steps taken to address the safety of student protesters can and should be addressed by the administration by refraining from escalation through the use of discipline, force or police repression and protecting the rights of the students participating in this peaceful demonstration. We encourage the administration to act in ways that protect the safety of the students participating in the encampment from harassment, intimidation and potential violence. 

We want our administration to know that we stand by our students and refuse to allow them to be harassed or intimidated in exercising their rights to freedom of speech and expression to call for an end to their university’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza. We will not stand idly by if students participating in this peaceful demonstration receive discipline notices, arrest, or any punishment related to exercising these rights and stand in solidarity with the demands they have made of the University.

The University of Oregon espouses the following values, among others; 

  • “We value the passions, aspirations, individuality, and success of the students, faculty, and staff who work and learn here.”
  • “We value academic freedom, creative expression, and intellectual discourse.”
  • “We value our diversity and seek to foster equity and inclusion in a welcoming, safe, and respectful community.”

If we are to embody these values, our students will stop receiving veiled threats and the administration will meet with students in good faith immediately to discuss their demands. We call upon university administration to engage in discussion and negotiation with the participating students on their demands rather than escalation through the use of discipline, force or repression. 

Signed, 

Michael B. Aguilera, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology

Stacy Alaimo, Professor, Department of English, Core Faculty, Environmental Studies

Hiba Ali, Assistant Professor, College of Design  

Michael Allan, Associate Professor, Departments of Comparative Literature and Cinema Studies

Geordi Allred, Fabrication Lab Manager in OVPRI, UO alum from Art and Technology BFA

Jillian Balfour, Sr Technology Access & Support Specialist, Information Services

Kemi Balogun, Associate Professor, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology

Ray Balstad, Graduate Program Coordinator, School of Global Studies and Languages 

Faith Barter, Assistant Professor, Department of English

Jaiden Seifert Bates, Office Manager, Office for Research and Innovation, UO Alumni BS in Planning, Public Policy, and Management Class of 2023

Martha Benson, Community Director for Barnhart and Riley Hall, UO Housing 

Matthew Bicakci, Pro Tem Instructor, Composition Department

Liv Braiker, Administrative Coordinator, CMAE Division of Equity and Inclusion

Ben Brinkley, Director, Teaching and Learning Technology, Information Services

Kaleigh Bronson, Research Assistant, Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect, College of Education

Alice Brown, Technology Service Desk Coordinator for Information Services

Tiffany B. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT, Senior Lecturer II; Clinical Director, Couples and Family Therapy Program, Director, Center for Healthy Relationships at the HEDCO Clinic

Will Brown, PathwayOregon Advisor, PathwayOregon

Trevor Brunnenmeyer, Pro Tem Instructor, Physics, UO Alumni PhD in Physics Class of 2022

Jason Bryant, Instructional Designer, UO Online

Freedom Buchanan, Technology Consultant, Information Services.

Carl Bybee, Associate Professor (retired), School of Journalism and Communication

Anna Carroll, Career Instructor in English and Composition

Chris Case, Data and Program Assistant, PathwayOregon, SEIU 503 Steward

Hana Chan, Manager, UO Libraries, UO ‘08

Roy Chan, Associate Professor, Departments of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature

Anita Chari, Associate Professor, Political Science

Samantha Chavez, Research Assistant, CAS Psychology/Center for Translational Neuroscience

Maria Chiochios, Assessment & Analytics Manager, UO Libraries

Yu-Fang Cho, Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Miriam Chorley-Schulz, Assistant Professor and Mokin Fellow of Holocaust Studies

Alex Segrè Cohen, Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and Communication 

Sierra Corbin, Assistant Clinical Professor, Communication Disorders and Sciences

Diego Mauricio Cortés, Assistant Professor of Global Media at the School of Journalism and Communication

Courtney M. Cox, Assistant Professor, Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies

Hannah Cutting-Jones, Director of Food Studies, Food Studies, Global Studies

Lauren M. Cycyk, Associate Professor, Communication Disorders and Sciences, College of Education

Stephanie De Anda, Associate Professor, Special Education and Clinical Sciences

Lauretta De Renzo-Huter, Senior instructor II of Italian, Department of  Romance Languages

Cheyenne Dickenson, Business Affairs

Whitney Donielson, Office of the Dean of Students, BA ’11

Michael Dreiling, Professor, Sociology

Lane DuBois, Library Technician, UO Libraries, UO Alumni Class of 2023

Briana Duncan, Access Service Specialist, UO Libraries 

Rena Dunbar, Research Associate, Department of Education Studies

Alexander H. Ellis, Assistant Registrar, The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon

Dustin Ellis, Adjunct Lecturer, Political Science

Michael Fakhri, Professor, School of Law

Rebecca Falleur, Academic and Career Advisor, College of Arts and Sciences

Nora Fandino, Academic adviser, TRIO Student Support Services (SSS)

Tannaz Farsi, Professor, Department of Art

Serge Faumont, Research associate, Institute of Neuroscience

Justin Filip, Program Manager, Donor Recognition and Reporting, University Advancement, UO Alumni Class of 1999

Katie Fitch, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Education, UO Alumni PhD in CSSE Class of 2021

Lynn Fujiwara, Associate Professor, Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies

Cassandra Galentine, Career Faculty, English

Pedro García-Caro, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Romance Languages, School of Global Studies

Miriam Gershow, Senior Instructor II, English Department

Mel Gold, Sr HR Coordinator, Knight Campus

Joanna Goode, Professor, Department Head, Education Studies, College of Education 

Zoë Haakenstad, Executive Assistant to the Associate Dean of Students, Office of the Dean of Students

Jill Ann Harrison, Associate Professor, Sociology 

Alison Helzer, Accountant, Research Finance and Business Administration, OVPRI

Derrick Hindery, Ph.D. (Geography), Associate Professor, Department of Global Studies

Andrea P Herrera, Faculty Director, LGBTQIA+ Scholars ARC, Faculty Director, Social Change and Collective Liberation FIG, Pro Tem Instructor, WGSS, UO Alumni MA and PhD in Sociology Class of 2020

Christine Bender Herrera, HR and Payroll Manager, External Relations Administrative Services

Timothy Herrera, Pro Tempore Instructor, Anthropology

Kelley Howarth, Career Faculty in Spanish, Department of Romance Languages

Ruth Huang, Campus and Community Engagement Program Associate, Division of Equity and Inclusion

Sinthiya Islam, Academic Advisor, Office Of Academic Advising

Carolina Jackson, Recruitment Specialist Provost’s Administrative Service Team

Sherri Jones, Assistant Administrator of Education at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

Masami Kawai, Assistant Professor, Cinema Studies

Kate Kelp-Stebbins, Associate Professor English

Ishalom Keren, Pro Tem Research Assistant, Archaeological Research Division of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

Colin Koopman, Professor, Department of Philosophy

Finn Koval, Graduate Programs Assistant, Academic Support Unit 5

Sophia Lambert, Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Biology

Hanna LaPointe, Faculty Support Coordinator, ASU 2

Anne Larkin, Development Coordinator, Lundquist College of Business

Abigail Jinju Lee, Assistant Professor, Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies

Stephanie LeMenager, Professor of English

Hannah Lewack, Lab Manager, Institute of Ecology and Evolution

Diertra Lomeli, Staff, Educational and Community Supports

Lana Lopesi, Assistant Professor, Department Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies

Joe Lowndes, Professor, Department of Political Science

David M. Luebke, Professor of History

Farhad Malekafzali, PhD, Instructor, Department of Management

JoAnn Malone, Food Service Coordinator, University Housing Dining Services 

Bonnie Mann, Professor of Philosophy

Samm Martin, Coordinator, Care and Advocacy Program, Office of the Dean of Students.

Dyana Mason, Associate Professor, School of Planning, Public Policy and Management.

Kevin May, Career Instructor, Cinema Studies

Lanie Millar, Associate Professor, Department of Romance Languages

Michelle McKinley, Professor of Law

Jessica McMullen, Cook 2, PNW Unthank, UO Housing 

Annie McVay, Graduate Programs Assistant, School of Journalism and Communication, Executive Member SEIU Local 085

Chanel Meyers, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology 

Quinn Miller, Associate Professor, English

Henry Mills, Classroom Technology Specialist, Information Services

Kate Mills, Associate Professor in Psychology

Arian Mobasser, Coordinator of the Men’s Resource Center (MRC), Office of the Dean of Students, UO Alumnus PhD in Psychology Class of 2020

Erin Moore, Professor, Department of Architecture

Emily Adler Mosqueda, Clinical Associate Professor and Supervisor, College of Education, Communication Disorders and Sciences Program

Benjamin Murphy, University Archivist and Historian, UO Libraries

Rhonda Nese, Associate Professor, Special Education, College of Education

Kari Marie Norgaard, Professor, Department of Sociology

Suzanne Hanlon, Assistant Program Director for Student Activities, EMU

Aimée Okotie-Oyekan, Pro Tempore Instructor, Environmental Studies

Edward M. Olivos, Professor, Department of Education Studies

Dan O’Neil, Undergraduate Program Coordinator | ASU 2.

Catalina de Onís, Career Faculty, Clark Honors College

Dinorah Ortiz, Career Readiness Coach, University Career Center/ UCC DEI Committee Member

Jeff Ostler, Professor of History Emeritus

CJ Pascoe, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology

Simone Piper, Senior Research Assistant, College of Education

Scott Pratt, Professor, Department of Philosophy

Rikki Pritzlaff, Senior Conflicts of Interest Administrator, Conflicts of Interest, Research Integrity, OVPRI

Laura Pulido, Professor, Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies

Forest (Tres) Pyle, Professor, Department of English

Heather Quarles, Career Instructor, Romance Languages

Andrea L. Quintanilla, Laboratory Technician, Paleontology Lab, Earth Sciences

Robin Quirke, Instructor, Physical Education and Recreation

Becky Raines, Marketing and Business Assistant, Museum of Natural and Cultural History. 

Cecilia Enjuto Rangel, Associate Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages

Lara M. Ravitch, Senior Instructor II, Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies

Tina Rinaldi, Director of Donor Relations, College of Design, BA ’99, MA ‘01

Beth I. Robinson, Art Conservator, JSMA

Rachel Rochester, Career Instructor, Family and Human Services Program, College of Education, UO Alumni, PhD, class of 2018. 

Andrea Romero, Executive Support Coordinator, School of Global Studies and Languages

Jerry Rosiek, Professor, Education Studies

Camisha Russell, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy

Cheyney Ryan, Emeritus Professor, Philosophy and Law

Leilani Sabzalian, Associate Professor, Department of Education Studies

Jasmine Samara, Faculty Director, Legal Studies

Nadia Katul Sampson, College of Education, Senior Research Assistant II

Leah Schluter, Prevention Education and Advocacy Coordinator, Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect

Christian Schmid, Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Neuroscience

Alison Schmitke, Senior Lecturer II, Education Studies

Vivian Schmolke, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, UO Alumni Association

Shari Schoohs, TRIO SSS Career Advisor

Ramsey Schumacher, Custodian, Campus Planning and Facilities Management

Lydia Scott, Urban Farm Instructor, Landscape Architecture Department 

Stacy Jo Scott, Assistant Professor, Department of Art

Tomoko Sekiguchi, Retired Research Assistant, Department of Architecture

Naomi Serio, Faculty Research Assistant, Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments (IROCE)

Casey Shoop, Career Instructor, Robert D. Clark Honors College. 

Jayme Sloan, Clinical Assistant Professor, Communication Disorders and Sciences.

Jackson Smith, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of History

Cera Smith, Assistant Professor, Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies

Jennifer Smith, Project Coordinator, Labor Education and Research Center

SEIU Local 085 President

McKay Sohlberg, Professor, Communication Disorders & Sciences

Maile Speakman, Writing Learning Specialist, UESS

Sarah Stapleton, Associate Professor, Education Studies and Environmental Studies

Beata Stawarska, Professor, Philosophy

Daniel Gómez Steinhart, Associate Professor, Cinema Studies

Michael Stern, Associate Professor, Department of German and Scandinavian

Sammi Strawser, Access Services Technician, Class of 2016

Jason Sydes, Lecturer / Senior Bioinformatician, Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program, Bioinformatics and Genomics

Amanda Thompson, Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Education

Courtney Thorsson, Associate Professor, Department of English and Faculty Fellow, Clark Honors College

Avinnash P. Tiwari, Instructor English Department, UO alumnus MA 2013

Jeff Todahl, Associate Professor & Director, Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect, College of Education.

Lizzy Utterback, Research Compliance Administrator, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation 

Jessica Vasquez-Tokos, Professor, Sociology

Cintia Martínez Velasco, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department

Julie Voelker-Morris, Senior Instructor II, School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management

David Wagner, Technology Service Desk Coordinator, Information Services

Eleanor Wakefield, Senior Instructor, Department of English and Composition

Sarah Wald, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and English

Liz Wallace, Graduate Program Coordinator, College of Arts & Sciences

Amy Warnock, Data Analyst, Student Life Assessment and Research

Sara Weston, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Nathan Whalen,  Senior Instructor II, Romance Languages

Rebekah Whittaker, Career Instructor, Labor Education and Research Center

Marty Wilder, University Supervisor, College of Education

Jenna Witzleben, Research Assistant, InfoGraphics Lab, Geography/CAS

Micah Woods, Post-Baccalaureate Scholar, Institute of Ecology and Evolution   

Maxine Wren, ProTem Instructor, Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program, Bioinformatics and Genomics, UO Alumni PhD in Biology Class of 2023

Kristin Yarris, Associate Professor, Global Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Richard York, Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies.

Ahmar Zaman, Career Instructor, Department of Psychology

Cengiz Zopluoglu, Associate Professor, College of Education

Groups

The University of Oregon Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine

Additional Resources and Information

Letter from Palestinian Universities to students and faculty in Gaza Solidarity Encampments in US academic institutions

ASUO Senate Resolution To Protect & Empower Student Freedom Of Speech

GTFF Statement of Solidarity With Palestine & Condemning Police Repression of Anti-War Student Protests

BDS Action Toolkit: University of Oregon Must Divest! Authored by the Working Committee of Grads for Palestine (WCGP)

PSU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine Statement in response to recent student repression

ATF Oregon Statement on the Student-Led Pro-Palestine Movement

AAUP In Defense of the Right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest on University Campuses

Jewish Voice for Peace On Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism and Dangerous Conflations

Daily Emerald Encampment Coverage

Resources for Higher Education Workers from Faculty First Responders

Faculty Statement and Announcement about Daily Vigil for Freedom of Speech & Peaceful Assembly


Are you a UO Faculty or Staff member or an authorized representative of a UO Faculty or Staff committee/department/group interested in signing on to this letter? Please send a message with your name, title and department or the name of the committee/department/group to uofsjp@gmail.com to be added.

UPDATE: Names as of 9 a.m., May 23, 2024.

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