The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has condemned the recent arrests of NYU faculty members and the measures taken against others during peaceful pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Reports indicate that at least two faculty members were arrested, while three others were declared “personae non grata” without due process, clear reasoning, or adequate notice. This designation effectively bans the faculty members from campus and prevents them from accessing their offices, classrooms, and laboratories, severely hindering their ability to perform their duties.
“This crackdown on NYU faculty is part of a distressing pattern of repression of pro-Palestinian speech on college campuses,” said AAUP President Todd Wolfson. “The AAUP condemns this practice, and we will fight to defend academic freedom and the right of faculty, students, and staff to peacefully assemble on campuses across the country.”
Declaring faculty members personae non-grata without due process is tantamount to a severe sanction, second only to dismissal in its gravity. According to AAUP standards, such a drastic measure should only be imposed after an adjudicative hearing before an elected faculty body, where the administration demonstrates adequate cause. NYU administrators, however, appear to have bypassed these critical protections, undermining the rights and responsibilities of faculty members.
The AAUP has raised concerns about a broader trend among college administrations, which have increasingly imposed harsh restrictions in response to campus protests. These actions, the organization warns, stifle free expression and academic freedom — both of which are foundational to higher education. By silencing faculty and students through punitive measures, institutions risk eroding the trust and openness essential to academic communities.
This crackdown also violates principles established in the AAUP’s 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. The document asserts that faculty members, when acting as citizens rather than scholars, should be free from institutional censorship or discipline. The arrests and sanctions at NYU contradict these long-standing values.
