Open Letter from UT Austin Faculty to President Jay Hartzell Regarding April 24

This letter has been forwarded to President Hartzell with all signatures as of 10am on Monday, April 29.

Dear President Hartzell,

As faculty members of the University of Texas at Austin, we are deeply concerned by the aggressive and disruptive police presence that your office invited onto our campus on April 24, 2024. Not only did the University administration quell a peaceful protest and teach-in on the Gaza war by students, staff, and faculty, it endangered the entire campus community. Your email from the same evening claims that you were protecting University functions, yet the aggressive police activity was far more disruptive of daily University functions than the planned activities could have been.

In fact, the University’s functioning was affected even before the protest began, by the presence of Texas State Troopers in full riot gear — on foot, horses, and motor bikes — along with Austin, UT and System Police. We were stunned to read the claim that all those who responded “exercised extraordinary restraint,” given that more than 50 individuals were arrested and that this level of police presence is unprecedented on the UT campus.

Whether or not we agree with the content of the planned teach-in and protest, we are deeply committed to the rights of free speech and assembly of the University community. We oppose University regulations that arbitrarily interfere with those rights and the use of a heavy police intervention, which increases the likelihood of harm and disruption to anyone on campus.

Particularly given that most of the people arrested were charged for nothing more than trespassing — on public land that is regularly used by students as well as members of the larger community — we urge the University to refrain both from pursuing criminal charges against anyone who was arrested and from disciplinary action against members of the University community who engaged in peaceful protest or teach-in activities.

As president of the University, you have claimed a strong commitment to free speech. We urgently call on you to make good on that commitment, which these times so desperately require.

Sincerely,

David E. Adelman, Harry Reasoner Regents Chair in Law

Syed Akbar Hyder, Associate Professor of Asian Studies

Bethany Albertson, Associate Professor of Government

Frederick Luis Aldama, Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities

Kamran Ali, Professor of Anthropology

Michael Anderson, Associate Professor of Instruction, Government

Jacqueline L. Angel, Wilbur J. Cohen Professor of Health and Social Policy

Eugenio Arima, Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment

Jossianna Arroyo-Martínez, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and African and African Diaspora Studies

Javier Auyero, Professor of Sociology

Zoltan Barany, Professor of Government

Phillip Barrish, Professor of English

Sarah Kate Bearman, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology

Alex Beasley, Assistant Professor of American Studies

Kit Belgum, Associate Professor of Germanic Studies

Mary Beltrán, Professor of Radio-Television-Film

Chad Bennett, Associate Professor of English

Daniela Bini Carter, Professor Emerita of French and Italian

Douglas Biow, Professor of French and Italian

Carl Blyth, Associate Professor of French and Italian

Jason Borge, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

Pascale Bos, Associate Professor of Germanic Studies

Oren Bracha, William C. Conner Chair in Law

Daniel Brinks, Professor of Government and Law

Ben Brower, Associate Professor of History

Simone Browne, Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies

Jason Brownlee, Professor of Government

Garrett Bruner, Archivist, Classics

Erika Bsumek, Professor of History

James Buhler, Professor of Music Theory

Barbara Bullock, Professor of French and Italian

Josh Busby, Professor of Public Affairs

Esther Calzada, Norma and Clay Leben Professor of Social Work

Craig Campbell, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra, Alice Drysdale Sheffield Professor of History

Paola Canova, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Luis E. Cárcamo-Huechante, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts

Edward Carey, Professor of English

Roberto Carlos, Assistant Professor of Government

Mia Carter, University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of English; Associate Dean of Student Affairs, College of Liberal Arts

Yessenia Castro, Associate Professor of Social Work

Shannon Cavanagh, Professor and Chair of Sociology

Terrence Chapman, Professor of Government

Karma R Chavez, Professor and Chair, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies

Michael J Churgin, Raybourne Thompson Centennial Professor Emeritus in Law

Danielle Clealand, Associate Professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies

Judith G. Coffin, Professor of History

Jason Cons, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Cary Cordova, Associate Professor of American Studies

Boris Corredor, Associate Professor of Instruction, Spanish and Portuguese

Brent Crosson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Megan Crowhurst, Professor of Linguistics

Catherine Cubbin, Professor of Social Work

Elizabeth Cullingford, Jane Weinert Blumberg Chair in English Literature

Jamein Cunningham, Assistant Professor of Law and Public Affairs

Kathryn Dawson, Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance

Donna De Cesare, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media

Noah De Lissovoy, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction

Celina de Sá, Assistant Professor of Anthropology

John Deigh, Professor of Law and Philosophy

Michele Deitch, Distinguished Senior Lecturer of Public Affairs and Law

Ashwini Deo, Professor of Linguistics

Linda Del Castillo, Associate Professor of History and Latin American Studies

Antonella Del Fattore Olson, Professor of Instruction Emerita of French and Italian

Andrew Dell’Antonio, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Musicology

Yoav Di-Capua, Professor of History

Anthony Di Fiore, Professor of Anthropology

Héctor Domínguez-Ruvalcaba, Professor of Mexican American and Latino/a Studies

William E Doolittle, Erich W. Zimmermann Regents Professor Emeritus of Geography and the Environment

Eric Drott, Associate Professor of Music Theory

Lori K Duke, Clinical Professor of Law

Ariel Dulitzky, Clinical Professor of Law

Zach Elkins, Associate Professor of Government

Karen Engle, Minerva House Drysdale Regents Chair in Law

Derek Epp, Associate Professor of Government

Patience Epps, Professor of Linguistics

William Fagelson, Associate Professor of Instruction, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Rebecca Falkoff, Assistant Professor of French and Italian

Nessette Falu, Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies

Caroline Faria, Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment

Michael Findley, Erwin Centennial Professor of Government

Vivian Flanzer, Professor of Instruction, Spanish and Portuguese

William Forbath, Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Law and Professor of History

Joshua Frens-String, Assistant Professor of History

Alan Friedman, Professor Emeritus of English

Kirkland Fulk, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Germanic Studies

Shiv Ganesh, Professor of Communication Studies

Sergio Garcia Rios, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs

Seth Garfield, Professor of History

Virginia Garrard, Professor Emerita of History

Mark Garrison, Lecturer of French and Italian

John Gerring, Professor of Government

Lyndon K. Gill, Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies

Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor of Law

Gloria Gonzalez-Lopez, C.B. Smith Sr. Centennial Chair # 1 in US-Mexico Relations and Professor of Sociology

Andrea Gore, Professor of Pharmacy

Jennifer Graber, Professor of Religious Studies

Laurie B. Green, Associate Professor of History

Kenneth Greene, Associate Professor of Government

Benjamin Gregg, Professor of Government

Zenzi Griffin, Professor of Psychology

Laura Gutiérrez, Associate Professor of Mexican American and Latino/a Studies

Lauren Gutterman, Associate Professor of American Studies

Mehdi Haghshenas, Associate Professor of Instruction, Sociology

Sabine Hake, Professor of Germanic Studies

Kelly Haragan, Clinical Professor of Law

Julie Hardwick, Professor of History

John Hartigan, Professor of Anthropology

Richard Heyman, Lecturer of American Studies

Kathleen Higgins, Professor of Philosophy

Annie Hill, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing

Tres Hinds, Research Assistant Professor of Social Work

Neville Hoad, Associate Professor of English

Cossy Hough, Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Heather Houser, Mody C. Boatright Regents Professor in American and English Literature

V. Jo Hsu, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Wendy Hunter, Professor of Government

Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla, Associate Professor of Architecture

Patricia Isela Hansen, J. Waddy Bullion Professor in Law

Nathan Jensen, Professor of Government

Stephen Jessee, Professor of Government

Mónica Jiménez, Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies

Bryan D. Jones, J.J. “Jake” Pickle Regent’s Chair in Congressional Studies

Alison Kafer, Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Tony Keddie, Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Lee Kovarsky, Bryant Smith Chair in Law

Jennifer Laurin, Wright C. Morrow Professor in Law

Frances Leos Martinez, Clinical Professor of Law

Lorraine Leu, Professor of Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese

Daniel Levine, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Geography and the Environment

Sanford Levinson, W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law

Anne Lewis, Professor of Practice, Radio-Television-Film

Randolph Lewis, Professor and Chair of American Studies

Katherine Lieberknecht, Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Planning

Tse-min Lin, Associate Professor of Government

Xiaobo Lu, Associate Professor of Government

Jeana Lungwitz, Clinical Professor of Law

Allen MacDuffie, Associate Professor of English

Patricia Maclachlan, Professor of Government

Raul Madrid, Professor of Government

Hannes Mandel, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Germanic Studies

Jim Marcus, Clinical Professor of Law

Stephen Marshall, Associate Professor of American Studies

Monica Martinez, Associate Professor of History

Tracie Matysik, Professor of History

Elizabeth McCracken, Professor of English

Patrick McDonald, Associate Professor of Government

Kelly McDonough, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Native American and Indigenous Studies

Thomas O. McGarity, William Powers, Jr. and Kim L. Heilbrun Chair in Law

Laurel Mei-Singh, Assistant Professor of Geography and Asian American Studies

Sofian Merabet, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Julia Mickenberg, Professor of American Studies

Robin Moore, Professor of Ethnomusicology

John Morán González, Professor of English

Elizabeth Mueller, Professor of Architecture

Santiago Munoz, Assistant Professor of History

Martha G. Newman, Professor of History and Religious Studies

Angela X. Ocampo, Assistant Professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies

Youjeong Oh, Associate Professor of Asian Studies

Lisa Olstein, Professor of English

Robert Olwell, Associate Professor of History

Abena Osseo-Asare, Professor of History
Raj Patel, Research Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs

Snehal Patel, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Adela Pineda, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

Samantha Pinto, Professor of English

Gabriela Polit, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

Lito Elio Porto, Associate Professor of Instruction, Spanish and Portuguese and Plan II

Thea Posel, Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work and Law

Charles Press, Clinical Professor of Law

Megan Raby, Associate Professor of History

Carlos Ramos-Scharron, Associate Professor of Geography and Latin American Studies

PJ Raval, Associate Professor, Radio-Television-Film

Roger Reeves, Associate Professor of English

Annette M. Rodríguez, Assistant Professor of History

Nestor Rodriguez, Professor of Sociology

Monica Romero, Assistant Professor of Education

Sergio Romero, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese

Sonia Roncador, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

Connie Rosati, Roy Allison Vaughn Centenniel Professor in Philosophy

Rebecca Rossen, Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance

Sharmila Rudrappa, Professor of Sociology

Juana Salcedo, Assistant Professor of Practice, Architecture

Cesar A. Salgado, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

Sahotra Sarkar, Professor of Philosophy and Integrative Biology

Amy Kristin Sanders, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media

David M Schnyer, Professor of Psychology

Raoul D Schonemann, Clinical Professor of Law

Ana Schwartz, Associate Professor of English

Joshua Sellers, Professor of Law

Elizabeth Sepper, Professor of Law

Michael Shepherd, Assistant Professor of Government

Dina Sherzer, Professor Emeritus of French and Italian

Bassam Sidiki, Assistant Professor of English

Sara Simons, Associate Professor of Instruction, Theatre and Dance

Christen Smith, Associate Professor of Anthropology and African and African Diaspora Studies

Zeynep Zomer-Topcu, Associate Professor of Government

Cristina Soriano, Associate Professor of History

Denise Spellberg, Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies

Elissa Steglich, Clinical Professor of Law

Jordan Steiker, Judge Robert M Parker Endowed Chair in Law

David Stuart, Professor of Art and Art History

Michael Sturley, Fannie Coplin Regents Chair in Law

Circe Sturm, Professor of Anthropology and Native American and Indigenous Studies

Shirley Thompson, Associate Professor of American Studies

Almeida Jacqueline Toribio, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

Rebecca Maria Torres, Professor of Geography and the Environment

Jeffrey K. Tulis, Professor of Government and Law

Pauline Turner Strong, Professor of Anthropology and Women’s and Gender Studies

Debra Umberson, Professor of Sociology

Luis Urrieta, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction

Carmen Valdez, Associate Professor, Dell Medical School and School of Social Work

Pavithra Vasudevan, Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and African and African Diaspora Studies

Maurizio Viroli, Professor of Government

Stephen I. Vladeck, Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts

Mariah Wade, Associate Professor Emeritus of Anthropology

Wendy Wagner, Richard Dale Endowed Chair in Law

Hannah Walker, Associate Professor of Government

Melissa Wasserman, Charles Tilford McCormick Professor of Law

Heather Way, Clinical Professor of Law

Anthony K. Webster, Professor of Anthropology

Stephen Wechsler, Professor of Linguistics

Rachel Wellhausen, Associate Professor of Government

Lynn Wilkinson, Professor of Germanic Studies

Jennifer M. Wilks, Associate Professor of English and African and African Diaspora Studies

Will Wilson, Associate Professor of Art and Art History

Anthony C. Woodbury, Professor of Linguistics

Adrian Zamora, Professor of History

Emilio Zamora, Professor of History

Title and affiliation listed for identification purposes only.

List of individual signatories is organized alphabetically by last name.