"I can no longer ethically or morally consent to use my labor in any way that supports an institution that is explicitly manufacturing consent for the unrestrained, illegal, 'apocalyptic' ongoing series of 'calculated' genocides to destroy Palestine"
Professor Rochelle McLaughlin sent the following letter to the leadership of San Jose State University on December 5, 2024. McLaughlin has been a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy since 2004.
Dear, CSU Board of Trustees, Mildred Garcia, Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Jennifer Malutta, Mari Fuentes-Martin, Patience Bryant, Jahmal Williams, Kristin Dukes, Jon Tucker, Mai Ma Cantos, Nnenna Abaeze, Vincent Del Casino, Ro Khanna, Zoe Lofgren, Ash Kalra, Alex Lee, Evan Low, Cindy Chavez, Omar Torres, Matt Mahan, Dr. Shillington, Dr. Masucci, Dr. Knepper, Dr. Smith, OT Department faculty, staff, and students,
Please accept this as my letter of resignation from SJSU effective December 20, 2024. I have been teaching here for the past 20 years and I can no longer ethically or morally consent to use my labor in any way that supports an institution that is explicitly manufacturing consent for the unrestrained, illegal, “apocalyptic” ongoing series of “calculated” genocides to destroy the people of Palestine. I believe that neither our tax dollars nor students’ tuition ought to be funding genocides. Over the last 14 months, SJSU students and faculty along with our local community have been trying to hold up a moral and ethical compass for our university to stand up for humanitarian law, to speak up against killing innocent people, and to disclose and divest from war and weapons. During this time, I have felt deeply saddened, pained, and disappointed in witnessing the university’s response in repressing and silencing repeated pleas from our faculty, students, and community to end SJSU’s complicity and material support of the military-industrial complex and the Zionist occupation of Indigenous land (Refer to ADDENDUM).
As an alumna of SJSU and a faculty member of 20 years, I embraced and aligned with SJSU’s vision of being “an intellectual environment in which hands-on, transformational learning experiences help students, faculty, and staff collaboratively address complex issues in global communities.” This historic anti-genocide and pro-Palestinian global student movement, where our very own SJSU students and faculty have been putting their bodies and careers on the line, upholds and fulfills this very promise. I am shocked and outraged by my university’s restrictive and punitive response to our community’s urgent public outcry for human empathy, understanding, integrity, and accountability. The hypocrisy in SJSU’s mission statement proclaiming to “nurture leaders to thrive and transform our community…and the world” while simultaneously punishing them for doing exactly that is abundantly clear. The hypocrisy in SJSU having a massive anti-apartheid statue in the heart of campus, presenting itself as a university at the epicenter of justice and equity, while simultaneously suspending and wrongfully maligning Dr. Sang Hea Kil, a Justice Studies professor, and Faculty Advisor for Students for Justice in Palestine will be remembered by historical records forever. (more...)
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