In letter to Board of Trustees, parents demand resignations of university president and provost
On Wednesday, May 8th, 2024 at 12:00 pm, a group of students, parents, faculty and alumni from The George Washington University community held a press conference at the headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to condemn President Ellen Grandberg for “defaming, ignoring and endangering” students, leading to a police raid on the anti-genocide student encampment this morning. The group also condemned Provost Bracey for allegedly physically assaulting a student.
The condemnations come after DC police, acting based on misinformation from President Granberg, attacked and dispersed the diverse group of students who have been peacefully protesting the school’s investments in the Israeli government and its ongoing genocide in Gaza since April 25th, 2025.
WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE
In a letter sent The George Washington University’s Board of Trustees this morning, parents of protesting students condemned the university leadership for its botched response to the peaceful encampment that students set up on-campus in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and demanding the resignations of both President Granberg and Provost Bracey.
SEE: Parent Letter Demanding Resignations of GW President and Provost
Among other things, parents criticized President Grandberg for refusing to negotiate a resolution with student leaders, pressuring the DC police department to raid the protest, suspending eight students for simply participating in the encampment, and endangering the health of protesters by blocking access to food and a new medical observer.
Parents also specifically condemned Provost Bracey for allegedly assaulting a student. In footage posted on Instagram, Bracey appears to suddenly physically assault a student who was recording him as another student asked the university to negotiate with protesting students.
The letter reads, in part:
“We are parents of some of the students who supported a peaceful, anti-genocide protest at The George Washington University from April 25, 2024 until a police raid on May 8, 2024. We write to express our deep concern about the dangerously ineffective ways in which President Ellen Granberg and Provost Christopher Alan Bracey have responded to this ongoing conflict. We are also calling for the Board of Trustees to secure their resignations and take other important steps.
“We want to first note that we stand in full solidarity with the students who risked their education, careers, and safety in order to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights, oppose the Israeli government’s ongoing genocidal war crimes in Gaza, and call on their university to disclose and divest from any financial support for human rights abuses. These students followed the legacy of young people who used peaceful civil disobedience to protest segregation, the Vietnam War, and apartheid, and we applaud their courage.
“Instead of treating these students with respect, President Granberg and Provost Bracey spent weeks ignoring, defaming and endangering our children and other students participating in this peaceful protest. President Granberg refused to meet or negotiate with students (and then she falsely claimed that non-existent negotiations had failed), suspended students without due process or justification, and apparently turned a blind eye to Provost Bracey’s alleged physical assault of a student (on April 29th, Provost Bracey came to the protest and was caught on video appearing to physically attack a woman who was filming an interaction with him, knocking down a camera she was holding).
“The current administration’s botched response culminated in the unnecessary and dangerous police raid on GW students on the morning of May 8th. For the reasons outlined below, we demand the Board of Trustees condemn this reckless behavior, terminate President Granberg and Provost Bracey, and take the following additional steps…
- Call on the DC police to release all students arrested for peacefully protesting and drop charges against them.
- Direct new school leadership to directly engage with concerned students, listen to their concerns, and negotiate a resolution that addresses their legitimate concerns.
- Protect free speech on campus, including speech in favor of Palestinian human rights, and allow students to engage in peaceful civil disobedience without facing police violence.
- Reverse the suspensions of students suspended for peacefully protesting and enable them to make up for the final tests they may have missed as a reason of GW’s misguided actions.
- Enable all protesting students to make up for the final tests they may have missed as a reason of GW’s refusal to allow students to enter and exit the encampment.
- Transparently disclose all endowments and financial investments to the public.
- End any financial ties or partnerships with foreign governments or companies involved in human rights abuses, including the Israeli government, which is currently being tried for a “plausible” charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice.”
CONTACT: GW parent Hala Amer, amerhala@outlook.com, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-mitchell@cair.com