May 16, 2024
After deliberation and consultation, the following statement was voted on by the whole faculty in the Department of Classics at Columbia University. It was passed by the Department (18 votes in favor, 2 against, 1 abstention, 1 ballot not cast) and hence may be considered as issued in the name of the Department.
As members of the Department of Classics, we are disheartened by the events unfolding on campus. We believe in freedom of speech and academic freedom; we condemn incitement to violence, hate speech, and violence on and around campus. We condemn the university’s decision to bring armed police onto campus without meaningful consultation with the University Senate. We protest the lack of transparency in communications with faculty and students. We call on the university administration to remove the NYPD officers from the campus, and to exercise restraint in disciplinary measures against students. We condemn the lack of legal representation for students during disciplinary proceedings before the recently created "Center for Student Success and Intervention". We deplore recent measures amounting to the locking out of many Columbia students from the libraries and facilities on campus. We note with dismay the administration’s lack of understanding of the academic and practical workings of our community. Finally, we support the Senate's decision to conduct an investigation of recent events, especially as concerns the administration’s actions and decisions. These have led to damaging outcomes and to the widespread breakdown of trust in the university’s administration
Professor Katharina Volk wishes it known that she is not a signatory to this statement.