(NEW YORK)–New York Governor Kathy Hochul demanded today that the City University of New York (CUNY) remove a job posting for a Palestinian studies faculty position at Hunter College and, according to a statement given to the New York Post, “conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom”.
According to news reports the posting was for “a historically grounded scholar who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to: settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender, and sexuality.”
CUNY quickly capitulated to the governor’s demands and removed the job posting; it is unknown at this time if CUNY will “conduct a thorough review of the position” or the future of the job at Hunter College. The union representing CUNY faculty and staff members has condemned the removal of the job posting and are calling on leadership to reverse their decision.
In response, Kristen Shahverdian, Campus Free Speech program director at PEN America, said “Government officials cannot be in the business of regulating academic job postings. Such overreach jeopardizes the autonomy of higher education and undercuts fundamental tenets of academic freedom – the rights of a scholarly department to determine courses, to contribute to and critically analyze cutting edge research and trends, and to determine the content of their courses. The posting may have been offensive to some, but it is the right and responsibility of the academic community to confront challenging areas of inquiry through independent research, teaching, and publishing. It is up to the academic experts in a field, not government officials, to determine the limits of any area of academic study. Leadership at CUNY should reverse their decision and reaffirm their commitment to academic freedom.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected]