SDFA Statement on Student Protests

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. Today, 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 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.

Click Here to Sign

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, Head of the Dance Area Theatre + 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 Profesor Visual Arts

Kendall Morris UCSD Undergraduate Student Ethnic Studies

Grace Jun Continuing Lecturee 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 Department, 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 of Computer Science and Engineering 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 Himanities

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

M. 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/Former Director, 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

Alicia Muñoz Sanchez Lecturer Linguistics

Daphne Taylor-Garcia Associate Professor Ethnic Studies

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, UCSD Global South Studies & Environmental Studies Programs, UCSD

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