Supporting Students' Right to Protest

The undersigned members of the Department of Literature at the University of California, San Diego support students’ rights to engage in nonviolent protests on campus.  We thank and appreciate our students who have invited us to release a statement of support.

During the 2023-24 academic year, there have been unprecedented attacks on the freedom of speech of students, staff, and faculty in the United States. These have accelerated in recent weeks in response to student protests, including within California and at campuses within the UC System.  We fully support the right of students to exercise free speech and engage in nonviolent expressions of civil protest without the threats of academic probation, suspension, or expulsion; violence from police or outside agitators; and arrest.

Because we recognize the tactics of intimidation and aggression that are used by those who oppose the right to protest in order to suppress nonviolent protest and organized dissent, we have encouraged only tenured faculty to sign below. 

We call upon the administration to:

1. meet with student representatives to discuss their demands, 

2. reverse the suspension of students who engage in protest,

3. embrace their responsibility to protect all students, including those who protest.

Ameeth Vijay

Kazim Ali

Kathryn Walkiewicz

Jacobo Myerston

Joo Ok Kim

Nina Zhiri

Amy Sara Carroll

Sara Johnson

Shelley Streeby

Lily Hoang

Amelia Glaser

Jin-kyung Lee

Todd Kontje

Dennis Childs

Page duBois

Meg Wesling

Anna Joy Springer

Lisa Lampert-Weissig

Ping-hui Liao

Jac Jemc

Gloria E Chacon

Jody Blanco

Erin Suzuki

Brandon Som

Dan Vitkus

Babak rahimi

Géraldine Fiss

Ben Doller