May 2, 2024

Dear President Crow, Provost Gonzalez, Vice President of Student Affairs Vogel, and Vice Provost Pallares:

We write on behalf of concerned ASU faculty from various units and colleges. On Friday, April 26th, ASU students and community members gathered on Old Main lawn. Their gathering was part of a growing international movement for Palestinian freedom and justice. These students took seriously their commitment to engage with our world's most pressing issues, exercise their free speech, and seek change courageously. From a diversity of faith groups, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and many first-generation, transfer, and international students, these students formed a broad-based coalition. Their actions represent a genuine commitment to create community, address the most urgent issues of our time by standing against genocide, and communicating their support for Palestine.

Israeli military forces have destroyed the infrastructure, classrooms, and libraries of 12 universities and centers of learning in Gaza since October 7th, targeting and killing academics, medical professionals, journalists, and artists. On more than 120 campuses around the world, students and supporters have taken an organized and principled stand against the ongoing destruction of Palestinian life, the brutal and violent expansion of settlements in the West Bank, and the scholasticide and sophicide of cultural and intellectual life in Gaza.

The student space on our university campus, grounded in solidarity and community, was creative, peaceful, and inspiring. They came together to demand an end to the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide and forced famine in Gaza, transparent disclosure of all investments in businesses and firms that support the illegal occupation, and ASU’s full disengagement from companies and institutions that support the Israeli occupation, among others. Their leadership, bravery, empathy, ethics, and dedication to learning reflect the best of ASU’s commitment to transforming society, and reflects a growing student movement across the world, including at least 12 countries.

In response, law enforcement from three different agencies disrupted the student assembly in front of Old Main. Non-ASU agitators were allowed to dismantle and destroy the property of other ASU students while law enforcement and administrators looked on. Since last Friday, the students arrested have faced uncertainty about their future at ASU. The decision to deploy a militarized police force has compounded student concerns about their safety in speaking up for and about Palestine and about academic freedom and free speech at ASU more broadly. We are also aware of the claims of harassment by the police against at least one ASU student who is Muslim.

We write to ask you to show our students compassion. An institution as innovative as ASU has many tools at its disposal beyond punitive measures (suspensions, voided class work, removal from housing) to treat our grief-stricken students with care and dignity. This aggressive bureaucratic response to our students’ principled engagement does not represent the best of ASU or our sentiments as ASU community members.

We ask that you immediately drop all suspensions as a first step toward transformative justice. At a minimum, we ask that you provide all parties with a clear and expedited time frame for due process and information on where and when students may collect their property. We also ask that you provide students with informed and competent mental health support free of cost. We also ask that you urge law enforcement to drop all charges against the protesters.

Finally, we request that you notify all faculty of specific ways they/we can exercise leniency for our students. While the university has communicated to faculty that they should accommodate students, more precise guidance is urgently needed. Some campuses have used a Pass/Fail option; others have offered Incompletes. Please provide more information to the faculty as this is a time-sensitive matter that could obstruct student financial aid, graduation, and other factors.

In closing, we appreciate your past efforts to ensure free speech on campus and urge that you endeavor to strengthen our collective resolve for open and robust dialogues, especially on challenging topics such as war and genocide. We also want to invite you to participate in an opening listening session (to take place soon). This session will be led by students, faculty, staff, and the community. Our ASU community has incredible expertise and many valuable and innovative ideas about moving forward productively, collectively, and with a commitment to protecting all students on campus.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

H. L. T. Quan, Associate Professor, Justice & Social Inquiry

Marisa Elena Duarte, Associate Professor, The School of Social Transformation

Alan Eladio Gómez, Associate Professor, Justice & Social Inquiry

Michael McQuarrie, Director, The Center for Work and Democracy

C. A. Griffith, Associate Professor, Sidney Poitier New American Film School

Michael Stancliffe, Associate Professor of English, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences

Jenny Brian, Teaching Professor, Barrett Honors College, ASU

Beth Swadener, Professor Emerita

Mary Margaret Fonow, Professor Emerita

Jacob Meders, Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary Arts and Performances

Crystal Jackson, Associate Professor, School of Social Transformation

Alex Young, Associate Teaching Professor

Alexander Aviña, Associate Professor of History, Arizona State University

Lila Sharif, Assistant Professor

Delphina Thomas, ASU PhD Student

Matt Simonton, Associate Professor of History, School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, Arizona State University

Laurie Stoff, Teaching Professor, Barrett, The Honors College

Irina Levin, Assistant Teaching Professor, Barrett

Dagmar Van Engen, Associate Teaching Professor

Robert Johnson, Community Outreach Worker

Rachel Fedock, Associate Teaching Professor, ASU

Michael Ostling, Teaching Professor, Barrett

Joya Scott, Assistant Teaching Professor, ASU

Abby Wheatley, Associate Teaching Professor

Lee Bebout, Professor, English

Shamar Alhassan, Assistant Professor

Polemnia Amazeen, Professor, Dept of Psychology

Jessica Vinas-Nelson, Assistant Professor

Sujey Vega, Associate Professor

Heather Switzer, Associate Professor, SST

Connor Alberto Leavy Murphy, MA Candidate, American Civic & Political History at SHPRS ASU

Chad Haines, Associate Professor, SHPRS

Shahla Talebi, Associate Professor

Elizabeth Allen, Museum Specialist, School of Art

Rudy Guevarra, Professor, The School of Social Transformation

Lauren Hayes, Associate Professor, Arts, Media & Engineering

Adriene Jenik, Professor, School of Art

Brandon Yoo, Associate Professor, SST

José Causadias, Associate Professor, School of Social and Family Dynamics

Max Groeger, Alumni

Amanda Urbina Hunter, Assistant Professor, College of Health Solutions

Elise Poll, Instructor

Kelly Jackson, Associate Professor, SSW ASU

Carrie Sampson, Associate Professor

Amy Shinabarger, Assistant Teaching Professor

Heather Green, Associate Professor, Herberger School of Art

Lucas Klein, Associate Professor, ASU

Indulata Prasad, Assistant Professor, Women and Gender Studies, School of Social Transformation

Nicole Braun, Sociology

Tricia Redeker-Hepner, Professor, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Elizabeth Meloy, Associate Teaching Professor

Todd Ingalls, Research Professor, School of Arts, Media and Engineering

Han Hsien Liew, Assistant Professor, SHPRS

Natalie Fabert, Assistant Teaching Professor

Malay Firoz, Assistant Professor, Arizona State University

Leah Sarat, Associate Professor, School of Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies

Jack Spielberg, Associate Professor, Maths & Stats

Jonathan Hope, Professor, Department of English

Johanna Taylor, Associate Professor, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

Stephanie Downie, Associate Teaching Professor, College of Integrative Sciences & Arts

Anita Huizar-Hernandez, Associate Professor

Mary Hood, Associate Professor

Angela Ellsworth, Professor, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

Mary Stephens, Faculty, Music, Dance and Theatre

Nilanjana Bhattacharjya, Teaching Professor, Barrett Honors College

Polly Wiessner, Professor

Wanesia Misquadace, Herberger School of Art

Qa'ed Mai, Director of Creative Strategy, University College

Scott Menor, Postdoctoral Fellow, Biodesign

Alejandro Acierto, Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance, Arizona State University

Sonja Klinsky, Associate Professor, School of Sustainability

Sara El-Sayed, Director, The Biomimicry Center, School of Complex Adaptive Systems, Global Futures Laboratory

Dawn DeLay, Associate Professor

K'Ehleyr McNulty, Senior Coordinator for Outreach Programs

Mina Suk, Associate Teaching Professor, Barrett, The Honors College

Sarah Graff, Teaching Professor, Barrett, The Honors College

Matthew Voorhees, Teaching Professor, Barrett, The Honors College

Sarah Suhail, Instructor, Justice and Social Inquiry

Marivel Danielson, Associate Professor, School of Transborder Studies

Maissa Khatib, Research Scholar

Jessica Katzenstein, Visiting Scholar, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Chelsea Haines, Assistant Professor

Mathew Sandoval, Associate Teaching Professor, Barrett Honors College

Monica Gaughan, Professor, School of Public Affairs

Monica De La Torre, Associate Professor, School of Transborder Studies

Andrea Shaheen Espinosa, Associate Professor, School of Social Transformation

Justin Petropoulos, Program Manager, Creative Writing

Matt Bell, Professor, English

Natalie Diaz, Akimel O’otham / Professor / Director CIB

Aaron Mallory, Assistant Professor

Barrett Michalec, Associate Professor, Edson College

Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Assistant Professor

Brandi Adams, Assistant Professor, Department of English

Mary Fitzgerald, Professor, School of Music, Dance and Theatre

Sumana Mandala, Faculty Associate, School of Music, Dance and Theatre

Phil Weaver-Stoesz, Instructional Professional, School of Music, Dance, and Theatre

Julie Codell, Professor

Mellissa Linton, Assistant Professor

Shyla Gonzalez-Dogan, Assistant Professor

Claudia Mesch, Professor, School of Art

Evan Berry, Associate Professor, SHPRS

Hannah Barker, Associate Professor

Liz Alonso, Implementation Coordinator

Patti Serano, Assistant Research Professional

Kelsie Herzer, Teaching Associate

Brian Goodman, Assistant Professor

Ted Solis, Professor, Music, Dance, Theatre

Marta Tecedor, Assistant Professor

Kay Norton, Professor, Musicology

Dave Fossum, Assistant Professor, Music, Dance and Theatre

Christina Schatzman, Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Politics and Global Studies

Eduardo Ortega, PhD candidate, ASU

Gage Beveridge, Graduate Teaching Associate

Jessica Salow, Assistant Archivist, ASU Library

Marah Brinjikji, Graduate Student, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Abigail Oakley, Instructor, Department of English

Roxanne Coffman, Staff

Joy Anderson, Faculty Associate, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

Brendan Pinto, Assistant Research Professional, School of Life Sciences

Oscar Mancinas, Doctoral Candidate, School of Transborder Studies

Elizabeth Grumbach, Program Manager, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics

Seema Plaisier, Assistant Research Professional

Nina Miller, Design Strategist, Center for Science and the Imagination

Elizabeth Kizer, Associate Teaching Professor

Cecalie Fort, Program Director TRIO Talent Search

Madison West, Staff, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

Maria Esch, Research Analyst Assistant; SST

Scott Menor, Postdoctoral Fellow

Alexandra Humphreys, Associate Librarian, ASU Library

Charles Herman, Student ASU

David Boyles, Instructor, Department of English

Lindsay Love, LCSW

Mark Pettit, ASU ET Staff and W.P. Carey MS-ISM Student

Mina Jafarpoor, Program Director, University College

Rosalia O, Graduate Student

Mim Montgomery, Office Specialist, School of Music, Dance, and Theatre

Jack Spielberg, Assoc Professor, SoMSS

Meredith Hoy, Associate Professor, School of Art

Amelia Min-Venditti, MS, PhD student

Amy Markos, Clinical Associate Professor

Linda Kim, Teaching Professor

Roxanne Doty, Associate Professor Emerita

Taylor Ducklow, Assistant Director, Experiential Learning Initiatives

Benjamin Bequette, ASU PhD Student

Gionni Ponce, Program Manager

Jennifer Keahey, Associate Professor of Sociology, ASU

Erica Price, ASU PhD Candidate

Karen Schupp, Professor, School of Music, Dance and Theatre

Kate Doxey, PhD Student, School of Math & Stats

Nilanjana Bhattacharjya, Teaching Professor, Barrett

Eyal Bar, Assistant Teaching Professor NAU

Ethan Steimel, Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Music, Dance and Theatre

Jacqueline Balderrama, Clinical Assistant Professor, English

Ernesto Velasquez, TA Department of English

Lucas Klein, Associate Professor, ASU

Reina Higashitani, Assistant Professor, Sidney Poitier New American Film School

Sa Whitley, Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar

James Journey, System Architect, Knowledge Enterprise

Julie Bufkin, Project Coordinator

Luke Boyle, Graduate Research Associate, ASU

Terri Hlava, Instructor, School of Social Transformation

K. Tom, Academic Success Advisor

Sharon Kirsch, Associate Professor of English

Sam McGee, Student at ASU

Mina Jafarpoor, Program Director, University College

Alexandrina Agloro, Assistant Professor

Lein de Leon, PhD Candidate/ Herberger Institute of Arts and Design

Hayden Casey, Instructor, ASU

Molly Dean, Event Coordinator, College of Global Futures

Alex Temple, Assistant Professor, School of Music, Dance and Theatre

Daniella Napolitano, Instructor

Santiago Gea, Instructional Designer / Professor

Holly O'Rourke, Assistant professor, the Sanford School

Katherine Bynum, Assistant Professor, SHPRS

Jessica Wicks-Allen, Assistant Professor of History, School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, Arizona State University

Tracy Perkins, Associate Professor, School of Social Transformation

Lisa Han, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies

Annika Mann, Associate Professor of English

Arianna Barley, SOA Grad student and educator

Karima Walker, HIDA graduate student

Edauri Navarro Perez, PhD Student

Kyle Jensen, Director of Writing Programs

Karen Jean Martinson, Assistant Professor, Music, Dance and Theatre

Ryan Brady, Manager, Academic Advising

Brittney Wegener, Graduate Student

Hallie Eakin, Professor, School of Sustainability

Wabwila Mugala, Graduate Student