FSU Executive Committee Statement of Protest Regarding Administration Actions and Space Policy
10/30/2024
FSU Executive Committee Statement of Protest Regarding Administration Actions and Space Policy
We, the Executive Committee of the Faculty Staff Union (FSU), express our deep condemnation of the administration’s recent response to the community vigil held on October 8th “in memory of Marcellus Williams, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, Aaron Bushnell, Matt Nelson, and the martyrs of imperialism in Palestine, Lebanon and worldwide.” The deployment of several armed police officers to a peaceful gathering at a public university is not only excessive but profoundly concerning.
Faculty, staff—including FSU members and Executive Committee members—and students gathered outside Wheatley Hall to create a space for shared grief and reflection. Rather than supporting this initiative, the administration chose a response that fostered fear and intimidation, undermining the principles of community and solidarity.
We are dismayed to learn of retaliatory disciplinary actions initiated by the administration against the university staff involved in this gathering. Such measures suggest an alarming stance of mistrust toward our community.
The administration’s recent changes to the university’s space-use policy are particularly troubling. These policies are unconstitutional and pose significant barriers to students, faculty, and staff exercising their right to free assembly and expression.
We call on the administration to take the following immediate actions:
- Rescind the recent unilateral space-use policy changes.
- Cease all retaliatory actions against staff involved in the October 8th gathering.
The Faculty Staff Union is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are heard, free from repression, intimidation, or retaliation. We call on the administration to abide by these values as a necessary step to ensure the well-being of the university community.
Join us, and fellow members from all the unions across campus, at 11:30 am on Thursday, October 31, on the plaza between Wheatley and the Campus Center as we speak out about our ongoing contract negotiations, unfair wages, and the need for respectful working conditions that support the rights of our entire campus community.
From The Executive Committee Of The Faculty Staff Union