A letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh’s Students for Justice in Palestine called for the immediate revocation of the chapter’s interim suspension.
The letter, addressed to Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel, stated that the university violated SJP’s First Amendment rights by selectively initiating disciplinary proceedings to stop expression of political views. The letter says Pitt retaliated against the student group for criticizing the university by imposing an interim suspension, and attempting to cease off-campus activities which are unrelated to the club’s formal operation.
“They still have their free speech rights,” Witold Walczak, legal director of ACLU said.
Tensions between the student group and Pitt began in December, when the university sought to discipline student organization members who participated in an overnight “study in” at the Hillman Library.
Students gathered with keffiyehs and flags to express solidarity with the Palestinian people while studying for finals but were shut down by campus police.
A video posted to Instagram on Dec. 10 by Pitt’s SJP account showed University of Pittsburgh police officers threatening to arrest students who refused to leave the library.
On Jan. 16, SJP received a letter from Pitt about attending a disciplinary conference related to the “study in.” SJP’s co-presidents participated in two separate disciplinary conferences on Jan. 22 and 23 during which the university placed SJP on probation until the end of the year.
SJP contested the alleged misconduct and proposed sanctions at a Feb. 4 hearing.
According to the ACLU’s letter, the conduct board’s findings were not released. The SJP, along with 27 other university-affiliated organizations and 46 other community groups, sent an open letter to university leadership requesting transparency in university proceedings.
On Tuesday, the university sent SJP a second letter that immediately placed the group on interim suspension of registration for what it called improperly engaging in communications to members of the conduct hearing board during their deliberations. The next day SPJ received a third letter for promoting an off-campus community event set to take place at Schenley Plaza on Thursday.
“The university’s attempt to stifle SJP’s core political speech by threatening further disciplinary conduct has already had a profound chilling effect,” the ACLU’s letter said.
Walczak said he believes many universities are “running scared” of the Trump Administration after President Donald Trump made a social media post on March 4, that threatened to pull funding from “any college, school, or university that allows illegal protests.”
“We are in receipt of the letter and are in the process of reviewing,” Pitt spokeswoman Sarah Ayer said in a statement.
The ACLU’s letter gave Pitt until noon on Monday, to lift SJP’s interim suspension and withdraw further disciplinary action for engaging in constitutionally protected expression.
“We don’t make idle threats,” Walczak said.