WWU Faculty Call on Administration to Meet Student Demands

Dear President Randhawa, Provost Johnson, and WWU Board of Trustees,

Students on college campuses across the country are demanding that their institutions live up to the values they claim to uphold. On May 3, 2024, a diverse coalition of Western  Washington University (WWU) student organizations, led by WWU’s Jewish Voice for Peace and Arab Student Association, presented you with a list of demands. Students are calling on WWU to financially divest from genocide, invest in decolonial education, and actively address the harm that the university has inflicted upon Arab and Arab American students on campus. As faculty, we write in support of our students and urge you to meet their demands.

See rest of the demands at end of list

Signed,

  1. Verónica Vélez, Professor, Secondary Education
  2. Anna Ciao, Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Center for Cross-Cultural Research
  3. Melissa Osborne, Associate Professor, Sociology
  4. A Longoria, Associate Professor and Chair, Secondary Education
  5. Bidisha Biswas, Professor of Political Science
  6. Yanara Friedland, Fairhaven College
  7. Kevin Delucio, Associate Professor, Fairhaven College
  8. Shirin Deylami, Professor, Political Science
  9. John Bower, Professor, Fairhaven
  10. Kate Darby, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies
  11. Cynthia Camlin, Professor, Department of Art and Art History
  12. Jane Wong, Associate Professor, English
  13. Tamara Lea Spira, Associate Professor of Queer Studies and American Cultural Studies
  14. Sondra Cuban, Woodring College of Education
  15. Theresa Warburton, Associate Professor, Department of English
  16. Mark Neff, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies
  17. Jae Fisher, Professor of Anthropology
  18. Josh Cerretti, Associate Professor, History and WGSS
  19. Ely Shipley, Associate Professor, English
  20. Clayton Pierce Associate Professor
  21. Zaidi Batool, Assistant Professor, Sociology
  22. Froylan Sifuentes, Assistant Professor, Environmental Science
  23. Mary Hunt, Associate Professor, Department of Health and Human Development
  24. Christopher Loar, Professor, English
  25. Jenny Marie Forsythe, Assistant Professor, English
  26. Katherine Judith Anderson, Associate Professor, English
  27. Catherine Wineinger, Assistant Professor of Political Science
  28. Lisa Beard, Assistant Professor of Political Science
  29. Robyn Mieko Dahl, Assistant Professor, Geology & SMATE
  30. Vicki Hsueh, Professor, Political Science
  31. Katie Rupe, Assistant Professor of Math Education, Mathematics & SMATE
  32. Adrian J. Villicana, Associate Professor, Psychology
  33. Barbara Lehman, Professor, Psychology
  34. Kristi Lemm, Professor, Psychology
  35. Larry Symons, Associate Professor, Psychology
  36. Ceci Lopez, Associate Professor & Director Law, Diversity & Justice
  37. Cameron Whitley, Assistant Professor, Sociology
  38. Ruby Ben, Assistant Professor, Sociology
  39. Glenn Tsunokai, Professor, Sociology
  40. Francisco Laso, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies
  41. Liz Mogford, Professor, Sociology
  42. Kristin Anderson, Professor, Sociology
  43. Dolores Calderón, Professor
  44. Dharitri Bhattacharjee, Associate Professor, History
  45. Greg Youmans, Associate Professor of English and Film and Media Studies
  46. Nada Elia, Visiting Scholar, Fairhaven College
  47. Caroline Hardin, Assistant Professor, Computer Science /Science , Math and Technology Education
  48. Melina Juarez, Assistant Professor Political Science
  49. Chris E. Vargas, Associate Professor, Art and Art History
  50. Amir Abedi, Professor, Political Science
  51. José Roach Orduña, Assistant Professor, English
  52. Melanie Bowers, Assistant Professor, Political Science
  53. Charles Anderson, Associate Professor of History
  54. Allison Giffen, Professor, English/WGSS
  55. Mariangela Mihai, Assistant Professor, Anthropology & WGSS
  56. Lourdes Gutierrez Najera
  57. Christine Espina, Associate Professor, Nursing Program, Health & Community Studies Department
  58. Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman, Assistant Professor in Socially Engaged Art, Fairhaven College
  59. Emily Spracklin, Teaching and Learning Librarian, Western Libraries
  60. Jean Lee, Assistant Professor, English
  61. Mo Wells, Visiting Assisant Professor of Indigenous Studies
  62. Natalie Baloy, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
  63. Neah Ingram-Monteiro, Teaching & Learning Librarian, Western Libraries
  64. Gabe Gossett, Head of the Hacherl Research & Writing Studio at Western Libraries
  65. Mary Tuti Baker, Assistant Professor, Comparative Indigenous Politics, Canadian American Studies
  66. Casey Mullin, Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services, Western Libraries
  67. Ricardo López-Pedreros, History
  68. Blanca Aranda Gómez García, Associate Professor, Modern and Classical Languages
  69. Brian J. Bowe, Professor, Journalism
  70. Daniel Picus, Assistant Professor, Global Humanities and Religions
  71. N. Hayes, Associate Professor in the Huxley College of the Environment
  72. Xi Wang, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies
  73. Kathleen Young, Associate Professor, Anthropology
  74. Judith M. S. Pine, Professor, Anthropology
  75. Stefania Heim, Associate Professor, English
  76. James Miller, UEPP
  77. Angela Bell, Assistant Professor, Psychology
  78. Daniel Chard, Assistant Professor, History
  79. Steve Bennett, Associate Professor, Department of Health and Human Development
  80. Jennifer Green, Professor, ECEM (Early Childhood, Elementary, Multilingual Education)
  81. Phil Pendergast, Assistant Professor, Sociology
  82. Daisy Padilla, Director of Access and Inclusion, Secondary
  83. JOHN KORSMO, Prof of Human Services. Health and Community Studies
  84. Phoebe Wahl, Design Faculty, Illustration Certificate Program
  85. Gabriela Martinez, Teaching and Learning Librarian, Western Libraries
  86. Anna Lees, Associate Professor, Elementary Education
  87. Christopher O’Dell, TA, math
  88. Liam Watts, Instructor, Mathematics
  89. Mark Y. Miyake, Associate Professor of Music and Society, Fairhaven College
  90. Amites Sarkar, Professor, Mathematics
  91. Mary Tuti Baker, Assistant Professor, Comparative Indigenous Politics, Canadian American Studies
  92. Jill MacIntyre Witt, Sr. Instructor, UEPP
  93. Christina Gutierrez-Dennehy, Assistant Professor of Theatre History and Theatre Education
  94. Shea Ani Tipesh, TA, English
  95. Dawn Dietrich, Professor of English
  96. Tesla Monson, Associate Professor, Anthropology
  97. Sylvia Hadnot, NTT Instructor, Environmental Studies
  98. Jackie Sennett, Professor, HS/HCS/WCE
  99. Nick Stanger, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies
  100. Lysa Rivera, Professor, English
  101. David Leaf, Professor Emeritus, Biology
  102. Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre, WGSS/Communication Studies
  103. Christina Byrne, Professor, Psychology
  104. Kristen Chmielewski, Associate Professor, Health and Human Development
  105. Milica Jelaca Jovanovic, Professor, Music
  106. Christina Gutierrez-Dennehy, Assistant Professor of Theatre History and Theatre Education
  107. Jeremy Cushman, Associate Professor, English
  108. Aquila Flower, Professor of Geography, Environmental Studies
  109. Kamarie Chapman, Senior Lecturer
  110. Gigi Berardi, Professor, UEPP
  111. Darren W. McCroom Associate Professor of Lighting Design and Stage Management
  112. Zoë Fejeran, Museum Educator, Western Gallery
  113. Sarah E. Watkins, Visiting Assistant Professor of History
  114. Cara Jaye, Professor, Chair, Department of Art and Art History
  115. Adam Nyman, Professor, Mathematics
  116. Tyler Walker, Assistant Professor, Modern and Classical Languages
  117. Marianne Brasil, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
  118. Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi, Assistant Professor, English
  119. Amber Hixson, Senior Instructor, Mathematics
  120. Tracy Coskie, Professor, (Early Childhood, Elementary, Multilingual Education
  121. Andrew Richardson, Sr. Instructor, Mathematics
  122. Zoe Redwoman, Assistant Director of Composition, English
  123. Ezra Anisman, Instructor, Fairhaven
  124. Andrew Weitz, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
  125. Kathleen Brian, Faculty
  126. Thomas Hummel, Honors College
  127. Sylvia Tag, Librarian, Western Libraries
  128. Midori Takagi, Professor, Fairhaven
  129. Jennifer Hahn, Instructor, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies
  130. Erik Takuichi Wallace, Senior Instructor, Fairhaven College
  131. Merrill Peterson, Professor, Biology
  132. EJ Colen, Senior Instructor, English & WGSS
  133. Hilary Schwandt, Professor, Fairhaven College
  134. Caitlin Roach Orduña, NTT Instructor, English
  135. Mary Janell Metzger, Professor Emeritus, English
  136. Willa Rowan, Faculty, Science, Math, and Technology Education (SMATE)
  137. Pamela Schwartz
  138. Tamer Hussein Abdelbaki, Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic, Modern and Classical Languages
  139. Christine Johnston, Assistant Professor, History
  140. Katie Biancalana Raker, Student Instructor, Fairhaven College
  141. Terri Kempton, Teaching Professor and Outback Farm Manager, Fairhaven College
  142. James Loucky, Professor Emeritus, Anthropology
  143. Travis Cram, Associate Professor, Communication Studies
  144. Laura Fernandes Laffrado, Professor, English
  145. Raine Dozier, Professor, Health & Community Studies
  146. Stan Tag, Professor, Fairhaven
  147. Stephanie Treneer, Associate Professor, Mathematics
  148. Samantha Spurlin, Instructor, Biology Department
  149. Jasmine Goodnow
  150. Nabil Kamel, Professor UEPP (Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy)
  151. Niall Ó Murchú, Professor
  152. Fiona Felker, NTT, Anthropology
  153. Ying Li, Professor, CHSS
  154. John McLaughlin, Professor, Environmental Sciences
  155. Tasha Laman, Professor, ECEM
  156. Sondra Cuban, Woodring College of Education
  157. Sarah Jo Monaghan Assistant Professor of Costume Design & Technology, College of Fine and Performing Arts
  158. Erin Grimes, TA, Mathematics, College of Science and Engineering
  159. Elaine Mehary, Co-Director, Education & Social Justice Minor, Secondary Education, Woodring College of Education
  160. Eva Gil, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Acting, College of Fine and Performing Arts
  161. Associate Professor, Urban and Environmental Planning & Policy, College of the Environment
  162. Trà Huỳnh, College of Science and Engineering

Divestment is not a new phenomenon. In response to student-led movements in the 1980s, universities across the country cut ties with companies that supported South Africa’s apartheid regime. Many universities, including Harvard, Michigan, and the University of California system, have also committed to divesting their endowment from the fossil fuel industry. Most recently, Washington’s Evergreen State College became the first U.S. university to commit to divesting from “companies that profit from gross human rights violations and/or the occupation of Palestinian territories.” This comes on the heels of Brown and Northwestern University agreeing to disclose their financial investments.

At WWU, students have a long history of effecting change. It was student activism that led to, among other things, the creation of the Multicultural Center, the Ethnic Student Center, the WWU House of Healing, and the Department of Ethnic Studies. Now, students are demanding “an education that does not fund genocide, apartheid, or war.” We stand with them in unwavering solidarity as they join a nationwide movement on college campuses and a global movement for Palestinian liberation. We therefore ask you to set into motion a speedy process to meet student demands, while upholding academic freedom and free speech on campus, and protecting all students from violence or retaliation.

As WWU faculty, we have the great privilege of working with students on a daily basis. We have witnessed their commitment to education and community, their ethic of care, and their steadfast dedication to ending the Israeli genocide on Palestinians. As an institution, WWU encourages students to “make waves” and prides itself on fostering a “commitment to equity and justice, and respect for the rights and dignity of others.” Indeed, WWU’s Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Trustees, envisions WWU as an institution that will “support and strengthen curricula and other programming that engage issues of access, equity, power, and privilege.” We call on WWU administrators to honor these values by meeting students’ demands.