To Mr. Peter Barris, chair, and other lifetime members of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees,

We, the undersigned tenured Northwestern faculty of different backgrounds and political viewpoints, come together to support students’ rights to protest peacefully.

We believe NU faces a historic opportunity to be a national model for responding to student dissent in thoughtful and peaceful ways. We are proud of our students for demonstrating discipline, creativity and camaraderie as they act on their principles and work to make a better world. We are also proud of our university leadership for its commitment to listen rather than presume, discuss rather than confront and act with patience rather than with haste.

This moment is a critical test of NU’s guiding principles of transforming society, championing diversity, encouraging debate, strengthening our community and caring about one another. We appreciate your willingness to approach this moment with proper restraint, even though you have complex cultural, personal and financial ties to this set of issues and challenges.

The past three days have witnessed an extraordinary process of negotiations involving administration, students and faculty. If allowed to continue on their due course, these conversations have the potential to be remarkably positive for all members of the NU community and set an example for universities and colleges across the country.

Together, we are embodying the best of Northwestern’s mission as an institution of higher learning.

Sincerely,

Wendy Pearlman, Professor of Political Science and Middle East and North African Studies, WCAS
Shirin Vossoughi, Associate Professor, SESP
Tabitha Bonilla, Associate Professor of Human Development & Social Policy, SESP
Kelly Wisecup, Arthur E. Andersen Teaching and Research Professor of English, WCAS
Mary Pattillo, Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and Black Studies, WCAS
Juan Martinez, Associate Professor of English, WCAS
Alvin Tillery, Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Mérida M. Rúa, Professor of Latina and Latino Studies, WCAS
Martha Biondi, Lorraine H. Morton Professor of Black Studies and History, WCAS
Helen Tilley, Associate Professor of History, WCAS
J.D. Márquez, Associate Professor of Black Studies, WCAS
Hannah Feldman, Associate Professor of Art History, WCAS
Rebecca C. Johnson, Associate Professor of English and Middle East and North African Studies, WCAS
Mary Weismantel, Professor of Anthropology, WCAS
Kim Marion Suiseeya, Associate Professor of Political Science and Environmental Policy & Culture, WCAS
Nichole Pinkard, Alice Hamilton Professor of Learning Sciences, SESP
Nitasha Tamar Sharma, Professor of Black Studies and Asian American Studies and Director of Asian American Studies, WCAS
Michael Rakowitz, Professor of Art Theory and Practice and Middle East and North African Studies, WCAS
Emma K. Adam, Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, SESP
Kasey Evans, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, English, WCAS
Tara Fickle, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies, WCAS
Kathleen Belew, Associate Professor of History, WCAS
Christina Kiaer, Frances Hooper Professor in the Arts and Humanities, Art History, WCAS
Robert Orsi, Professor of Religious Studies and History, WCAS
Daisy Hernández, Associate Professor of English, WCAS
Laura Brueck, Professor of South Asian and Comparative Literature, Asian Languages and Cultures, WCAS
Susan Pearson, Professor of History, WCAS
Micaela di Leonardo, Professor Emerita, Anthropology, WCAS
Brent E. Huffman, Professor of Journalism, Medill
Krista Thompson, Mary Jane Crowe Professor of Art History, WCAS
Sally Nuamah, Associate Professor, SESP
Mary Ann Weston, Associate Professor Emerita of Journalism, Medill
Jacqueline Stevens, Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Tessie P. Liu, Professor of History and Gender & Sexuality Studies, WCAS
David Schoenbrun, Professor of History, WCAS
Cynthia Coburn, Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence, Human Development and Social Policy, SESP
Rebecca Zorach, Mary Jane Crowe Professor of Art History, WCAS
Caitlin Fitz, Associate Professor of History & Director of Undergraduate Studies in History, WCAS
Marcelo Worsley, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Computer Science, SESP and McCormick
James Mahoney, Gordon Fulcher Professor of Decision-Making, Political Science and Sociology, WCAS
A.J. Christian, Professor of Communication Studies, Communication
Thrasyvoulos Pappas, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McCormick
Ji-Yeon Yuh, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies, WCAS
Wendy Wall, Avalon Professor of the Humanities, Department of English, WCAS
Lina Britto, Associate Professor of History, WCAS
Sarah Schulman, Ralla Klepak Professor of English, WCAS
Lydia Barnett, Associate Professor of History, WCAS
Spencer Parsons, Associate Professor of Radio, Television and Film, School of Communication
Joshua Chambers-Letson, Professor of Performance Studies and Asian American Studies, School of Communication
Jules Law, Professor of English, WCAS
Nasrin Qader, Associate Professor of French and Italian, WCAS
Namratha Kandula, Professor of Medicine and Preventative Medicine, Feinberg
Lauren Stokes, Associate Professor of History, WCAS
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Professor of Religious Studies and Political Science, WCAS
Megan Bang, Professor of Learning Sciences and Director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, SESP and WCAS
Ana Aparicio, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Latina and Latino Studies, WCAS
Kate Masur, Board of Visitors Professor of History, WCAS
Domietta Torlasco, Professor of French and Italian and Comparative Literary Studies, WCAS
Steve Nelson, Associate Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Sepehr Vakil, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences, SESP
Peter Sporn, M.D. and Professor of Medicine, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Medical Education, Feinberg
Jay Grossman, Associate Professor of English, WCAS
Nick Davis, Associate Professor of English and Gender and Sexuality Studies, WCAS
Scott Durham, Associate Professor, French and Italian, WCAS
Moya Bailey, Professor, Communication Studies, School of Communication
Jeffrey Masten, Professor of English and Gender & Sexuality Studies, WCAS
Mark Hauser, Professor and Director Anthropology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies, WCAS
Katharine Breen, Board of Lady Managers of the Columbian Exposition Chair, Professor of English, WCAS
Michelle Shumate, Delaney Family University Research Professor, School of Communication
J. Michelle Molina, Associate Professor Religious Studies, WCAS
Paul Gillingham, Professor of History, WCAS
Steve Reinke, Professor Art, Theory, Practice, WCAS
Ryan Dohoney, Associate Professor Music Studies, Comparative Literary Studies, & Critical Theory, Bienen
Andrew Talle, Associate Professor Music Studies, Bienen
Onnie Rogers, Associate Professor Psychology, WCAS
Christine Froula, Professor of English, WCAS
Shirin Vossoughi, Associate Professor Learning Sciences, SESP
Ian Hurd, Professor and Director Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Marquis Bey, Professor of Black Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Critical Theory, WCAS
Erica Weitzman, Associate Professor of German, WCAS
Kyle Henry, Associate Professor of Radio, TV, Film, School of Communications
Hans Thomalla, Professor of Music, Bienen
Alejandra Uslenghi, Associate Professor of Associate Professor, WCAS
Anna Parkinson, Associate Professor of German, WCAS
Ana Arjona, Ana Arjona of Political Science, WCAS
Cristina Lafont, Garold and Virginia Anderson Professor of Philosophy, WCAS
Mesmin Destin, Faculty Director of Student Access & Enrichment; Associate Professor, SESP/WCAS
Kennetta Hammond Perry, Associate Professor of Black Studies, WCAS
Paul Ramírez, Associate Professor of History, WCAS
Jorge Coronado, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, WCAS
Helen Thompson, Professor of English, WCAS
Steven Epstein, Professor of Sociology and John C. Shaffer Professor in the Humanities, WCAS
Paola Zamperini, Associate Professor of literatures and cultures in Chinese and Gender and Sexuality Studies, WCAS
Stephen Eisenman, Professor Emeritus, Art History, Weinberg College
Wendy Pearlman, Professor of Political Science and MENA Studies, WCAS
James Bielo, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, WCAS
Penelope Deutscher, Professor of Philosophy, WCAS
Laura Kipnis, Professor Emeritus of Radio-TV-Film, School of Communications
Katherine E. Hoffman, Associate Professor of Anthropology, WCAS
Tabitha Bonilla, Associate Professor of Human Development & Social Policy, SESP
KO- Karen Olivo, Donald G. Robertson Director of MTCP- Associate Professor of Theatre, School of Communications
Samuel Weber, Avalon Foundation Professor of Humanities, German and CLS, WCAS
Susan Manning, Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities, English, WCAS
Tracy C. Davis, Barber Professor of Performing Arts, Theatre and English, School of Communications and WCAS
Hector Carrillo, Professor of Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies, WCAS
Michael Loriaux, Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Jörg Kreienbrock, Professor of German, WCAS
Claudio Benzecry, Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology, School of Communications and WCAS
Marcela A. Fuentes, Associate Professor of Performance Studies, School of Communications
Lincoln Quillian, Professor of Sociology, WCAS
Daniel Immerwahr, Professor of History, WCAS
Akin Ogundiran, Professor of History, WCAS
Robert L. Nelson, Professor of Sociology, WCAS
Amy Stanley, Professor of History, WCAS
Anthony S. Chen, Associate Professor of Sociology and Political Science, WCAS
Debra Tolchinsky, Associate Professor of RTVF, School of Communications
Ann Shola Orloff, Professor of Sociology and Board of Lady Managers of the Colombian Exposition Chair, WCAS
Jonathon Glassman, Wayne V. Jones Research Professor Emeritus of History, WCAS
Harris Feinsod, Associate Professor of English, WCAS
Tristram Wolff, Associate Professor of English & Comp Lit Studies, WCAS
Laura Lackner, Associate Professor of Molecular Biosciences, WCAS
Cynthia Robin, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, WCAS
James Schwoch, Professor of Communication Studies, School of Communications
Mimi White, Professor of RTVF, Communication
Bruce Carruthers, John D. MacArthur Professor of Sociology, WCAS
Carol D. Lee, Edwina S.Tarry Professor Emerita of Edwina S.Tarry Professor Emerita, SESP
Amanda Logan, Associate Professor of Anthropology, WCAS
Douglas Medin, Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Education and Social Policy, WCAS
Kevin Boyle, William Smith Mason Professor of American History, WCAS
Sera Young, Associate Professor of Anthropology, WCAS
Hendrik Spruyt, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, and Norman Dwight Harris Chair Emeritus in International Relations, WCAS
Douglas Foster, Professor of Journalism, Medill
Russ Joseph, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science, McCormick
Jose Medina, Walter Dill Scott Professor of Philosophy, WCAS
Ken Alder, Professor of History, WCAS
Evan Mwangi, Professor of English, WCAS
Zekeria Ahmed Salem, Associate Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Ariel Rogers, Associate Professor of RTVF, School of Communication
Emily Maguire, Associate Professor and Chair of Spanish and Portuguese, WCAS
LaShandra Sullivan, Associate Professor of Anthropology, WCAS
Nathalie Bouzaglo, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, WCAS
Brannon Ingram, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, WCAS
Leslie M. Harris, Professor of History, WCAS
Sarah Maza, Jane Long Professor of History, WCAS
Doris S. Warriner, Professor of Anthropology, WCAS
Sean Hanretta, Associate Professor of HIstory, WCAS
Wendy Espeland, Professor of Sociology, WCAS
Aaron Shaw, Associate Professor of Communications Studies, School of Communication
Doug Kiel, Associate Professor of History, Weinberg College
Ermin Wei, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, McCormick
Sarah Jacoby, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, WCAS
Laura Beth Nielsen, Professor of Sociology, WCAS
Barbara Newman, John Evans Professor of Latin, English, WCAS
J. Seawright, Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Jay Alan Yim, Associate Professor, Music Studies, Bienen School of Music
Iza Ding, Associate Professor of Political Science, WCAS
Silyane Larcher, Associate Professor of Black Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies, WCAS
Rajeev Kinra, Associate Professor of History, Comparative Literature, Asian Languages and Cultures, Middle East and North Africa, and International Studies, WCAS
Susan Hollis Clayson, Professor Emerita of Art History and Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities, WCAS
Vilna Bashi, Osborn Professor of Sociology, WCAS

If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.