Tag Archives: petition

Petition: Ginsberg v North Carolina State University

At North Carolina State University (NCSU), shortly after Dr. Terri Ginsberg made supportive political comments at a screening of a Palestinian film in 2007, she went from being the favored candidate for a tenure-track position to being denied even an interview.  Her efforts at redress were summarily rejected by NCSU and two courts.  A jury should be permitted to decide whether NCSU’s real reason for firing Dr. Ginsberg was its hostility to her political views, but this legal right has been denied.  We urge the Supreme Court of North Carolina to review Dr. Ginsberg’s case and to reverse the lower courts’ decisions to dismiss it.  On this basis, faculty at NCSU and elsewhere may finally exercise their legal right to academic speech on the topic of Palestine/Israel and, as such, to their full human rights as scholars, teachers, and intellectuals in the academic community.

To support this request to the NC Supreme Court, we invite academic faculty and students worldwide to sign our Open Letter as an e-petition at this URL:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/open-letter-to-nc-supreme-court-ginsberg-vs-ncsu.html

We expect to submit the Open Letter with all signatures received by February 7, though signatures received later would still be helpful.

You are also encouraged to send your own letter to:

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Clerk’s Office

P.O. Box 2170

Raleigh, NC 27602-2170  USA

 

British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) http://www.bricup.org.uk/

U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) http://www.usacbi.org

Center for Constitutional Rights http://ccrjustice.org

Jewish Voice for Peace-Westchester http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewish-Voice-for-Peace-Westchester-Chapter/201574026528540?v=info

WESPAC Foundation http://wespac.org/

Committee for Open Discussion of Zionism (CODZ) http://www.codz.org

Defend Labor Education and Academic Freedom at University of Missouri-St. Louis

Defend Labor Education and Academic Freedom at University of Missouri-St. Louis

Target: University of Missouri-St. Louis Administration
Sponsored by: United Association for Labor Education

Recently, videotape excerpts of a labor education class taught by our colleague, Judy Ancel, director of The Institute for Labor Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and union leader Don Giljum, have been circulating on the Internet.

The dissemination of highly edited, false, and deceptive tapes that take remarks out of context and distort their true meaning has become a familiar tactic used by anti-union forces to discredit those whose views they oppose. The use of this disgraceful tactic against Judy Ancel and Don Giljum is only the latest in a series of efforts to intimidate and silence teachers, scholars, and activists who have spoken out against legislative initiatives to curtail collective bargaining rights for workers and undermine the effectiveness of labor unions.

As labor educators, we are committed to enhancing the ability of workers to participate effectively in workplace and community affairs. We also believe that the presence of a strong union movement not only provides workers with vital protections but also is essential to maintaining a just and democratic society. Accordingly, we view attempts to impede or prevent labor educators from performing their vital mission as antithetical to democratic values and unacceptable.

We denounce in the strongest possible terms this blatant attempt to suppress academic freedom, impugn the character of our colleagues, and circumscribe the boundaries of political discussion. We urge administrators at the University of Missouri to do likewise and affirm the principles of academic freedom, critical inquiry, and fair play that are essential to effective education and a functional democracy.