Action Alert: Defend Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Northeastern University

Action Alert: Defend Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Northeastern University

For more information see the Northeastern University SJP statement linked here

Academic free speech is again under attack, as Northeastern University in Boston has suspended the university’s SJP and is pursing expulsion level sanctions against two of its members.  These attacks come after the SJP carried out a mock eviction action, posting fake eviction notices on the doors of students living in the dormitory, as a way to raise awareness about the daily realities faced by Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli government and military.  Northeastern SJP is calling on people across the country to join their fight against this suspension and suppression of speech by taking  the following actions steps:

1)    Sign its petition here: s://www.change.org/petitions/northeastern-university-reinstate-sjp-and-stop-criminalizing-pro-palestine-speech

2)    Contact the Northeastern University administration.  Please see the following pages for contact information, sample emails, and phone/voicemail talking points.

3)    Have your organization send a letter of solidarity.  Letters can be submitted to[email protected]

CONTACTS FOR NORTHEASTERN ADMINISTRATION
Northeastern Offices are generally open from 8am to 5pm.*       Contacts are listed in order of importance.

Name
Position
Email
Phone

Joseph Aoun
University President
presidentaoun@neu.edu
cc: [email protected] (President’s Assistant)
(617) 373-2101

Philomena Mantella
Senior VP of Student Affairs
p.mantella@neu.edu
(617) 373-4810

Bob Jose
Assoc. Dean of Cultural and Residential Life
r.jose@neu.edu
(617) 373-5877

Ralph Martin
University General Counsel
[email protected]
(617) 373-2157

Laura Wankel
VP of Student Affairs
[email protected]
(617) 373-2338

Jason Campbell-Foster
Director of Campus Activities
[email protected]
(617) 373-2642

Center for Student Involvement
[email protected]
(617) 373-2642

Vincent Lembo
Deputy General Counsel
[email protected]
(617) 373-2157

*Most Northeastern staff voicemails become full after 20 messages

SAMPLE EMAIL TO THE ADMINISTRATION

Dear ______________,               

I am writing to you as concerned [student/faculty member/alumni/community member] at Northeastern University [or wherever you are from]. It has come to my attention that the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) has issued a suspension of Northeastern University Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and banned its leaders permanently from participation, based on many accusations the organization vigorously denies and has had no opportunity to refute.  Additionally, student leaders were interrogated and intimidated by the Northeastern police department while the CSI was investigating the organization.  This level of action is unprecedented, particularly considering the minor, administrative nature of the violations with which SJP are accused.  I am concerned that this action was taken as a measure to repress student speech that the University finds overly political.  This is a serious violation of the basic principles of free speech and academic freedom on campus, which Northeastern purports to honor.

This suspension is also not an isolated incident.  It has been demonstrated that SJP has faced a pattern of discrimination and harassment by the Northeastern administration, including being placed on probation last year for their silent walk-out of an event featuring a panel of Israeli soldiers.  SJP has been forced to hire police officers for their events “for their own safety”, yet reports to the administration of threats and intimidation faced by SJP activists have gone completely unrecognized.  This lays plain the political nature of the current suspension of SJP as an attempt to finally eliminate pro-Palestine speech from campus.  This repression cannot be tolerated as it spells disaster for any hope of open discussion on campus and indicates that the University administration will silence any viewpoint with which they do not agree or find publicly palatable.

Therefore, I am asking that the Northeastern administration take the following measures:

1)     Reinstate Students for Justice in Palestine as a student organization with all of the appropriate privileges.
2)     Drop all charges against the two SJP members facing individual sanctions.
3)     Ensure that SJP is no longer held to a more stringent standard than other organizations and receives the appropriate support.
4)     Take appropriate measures to ensure that all student organizations are able to engage the University community in open discussion, without having their views politically censored.
5)     Immediately cease the use of the Northeastern police department to investigate student organizations for exercising their speech rights.

Sincerely,

_________________

For more information:

Talking Points for Phone Calls or Voicemails

Hello, this is [YOUR NAME] a [YOUR AFFILIATION]. I am calling to express my concern that the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) has issued a suspension of Northeastern University Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

I feel that:

●      This measure constitutes a violation of SJP’s freedom of speech rights, and is intended to silence their message on campus.
●      The suspension of SJP is politically motivated because the University administration disapproves of SJP’s message and believes it is potentially divisive.
●      Northeastern University is bowing to the pressures of outside interest groups and large donors, rather than protecting its own student’s fundamental rights.
●      How can any students feel comfortable expressing any ideas or opinions on campus, when they may be arbitrarily censored and sanctioned?

Feel free to include your personal experiences or feelings about free speech and oppression in our community, especially if you are able to speak with someone on the phone.

Thank you for taking the time to talk/listen to me today. I urge you to work with the rest of the university to respond to reinstate SJP as an organization and take measures to ensure that this type of repression does not occur again.