Dear colleague,
This afternoon, students and others in the Rutgers community have set up an encampment on Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue campus in New Brunswick, in support of demands related to Israel-Palestine. Our unions have not taken a position on their demands, but we have consistently defended our students’ and our members’ academic freedom and right to protest.
The Executive Council of AAUP-AFT and the Executive Board of the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union voted on this statement:
Our unions support and defend our students’ and our members’ rights to free speech, free assembly, and free expression. If our students set up an encampment and exercise their right to peacefully protest, Rutgers AAUP-AFT and PTLFC will establish a faculty committee to monitor the situation and—if the administration makes it necessary—protect them from arrest and repression. As educators and researchers at Rutgers University, members of our union have varying positions on the wider issues in the Palestine-Israel conflict. But regardless of our differences, we are overwhelmingly united in defending the rights of our members and our students to speak, assemble, and protest, especially in the face of the threats and repression students face today on campuses across this nation. We reiterate our unions’ commitment to challenging all instances of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bigotry. During this encampment, our unions will protect our students and defend their rights.
We ask those of you who would like to participate in our unions’ effort to defend and protect students to fill out this form, letting us know what you would be willing to be involved in. We asked for legal advice for any member who wants to participate in our unions’ defense of students, including what the risk of arrest in defense of students entails; click here to read an FAQ with that legal advice.
If you are willing to participate as an observer or defender over the coming days, there will be a safety training led by union members and staff tonight (Monday, April 29) at 6 p.m. (click here to register) and Tuesday, April 30, at 10 a.m. (click here to register).
We all know that Rutgers is far from the only campus where these encampments are taking place, and that members of our union are not all in agreement about the issues raised in this protest. By stressing that our role is to defend and protect our students and members, we are putting into practice the commitment to freedom and democratic rights that unites us all.
In solidarity,
On behalf of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT Executive Council and Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union Executive Board:
Todd Wolfson, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Bryan Sacks, President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Rebecca Givan, General Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Amy Higer, Vice President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Miguel Rodriguez, Secretary-Treasurer, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Howie Swerdloff, Secretary, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
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Visit our website: https://rutgers-ptlfc.org/