The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) today called University of Texas-Austin Dean of Students Office to follow the university’s standard disciplinary procedure in its investigation of April anti-genocide, student-led protests on campus.
That request came after a number of students received a letter that lists accusatory questions allegedly assuming guilty findings and forcing students into self-incrimination response in writing by June 18 and June 26th.
Those students who recently received the conduct letters were violently arrested on campus during their peaceful anti-genocide protests on April 24 and 29 in an unprecedented abuse of state power against UT Austin students.
“It is ironic that the university is violating its rules while disciplining students for allegedly violating the university’s rules. This violation adds another layer of oppression and prevents students from taking informed decisions. CAIR-Austin will continue holding UT Austin administration accountable to their own standards,” said Shaimaa Zayan, CAIR-Texas, Austin Operations Manager.
“As President of the UT Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), I am deeply concerned that students arrested for participating in peaceful protests are being subjected to a disciplinary process that departs in troubling ways from the normal disciplinary procedures of UT Austin,” said Dr. Pauline Strong, President of UT Austin Chapter of AAUP. “Students deserve transparency and due process, including an informational meeting with disciplinary officers and the possibility of bringing an attorney or other advisor to such a meeting. Substituting a series of written questions for the usual informational meeting may be convenient for the Dean of Students Office, but it removes protections to which students are entitled and calls the fairness of the disciplinary process into question.”
“The freedom of speech and assembly are foundational values to a free society and the lesson that the university is sending students, including myself, is that the exercise of these freedoms will be met with legal and disciplinary actions. This is an alarming precedent that threatens the central educational mission of UT Austin,” said Sam Law, a Jewish graduate student who received the conduct letter.
“UT Austin is purposefully dragging their feet and isolating us as well as violating their own rules. Rushing to send the conduct letters, the Dean of the Students Office sent a copy of the letter to a student who didn’t even participate in the protest mistaking them with a non-student protester with the same name that got arrested. The University has also pinned evidence on me in the conduct letter that is verifiably not relevant to my case,” said Citlalli Soto-Ferate, a recent UT Austin graduate who received the conduct letter.
BACKGROUNDER:
CAIR-Austin previously wrote press releases condemning the unnecessary and excessive arrests of students on Apr. 24th and condemning president Hartzell attempt to justify the violence he invited against his students.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Austin Operations Manager, Shaimaa Zayan, 512-785-7105, info@cairtx.org; UT Austin AAUP President, Dr. Pauline Strong, 512-736-1410, strongpolly@gmail.com