A post-election statement from the Nov. 9 faculty group at Tufts University

In this post-election moment, we have witnessed increasing threats to the present and future safety and wellbeing of our community. As faculty members at Tufts University, we pledge to actively commit ourselves to social justice and principles of community, compassion, decency and protection. We commit to continuing the work of teaching, conducting research and encouraging civic engagement at Tufts and in our communities in ways that rise to the challenges of this moment. We are and we stand with black, Muslim, LGBTQ+, Latinx, Asian and Native American communities, people without papers, people who are differently abled, women and girls, immigrants and refugees – with all people working for equity and justice.

In the few days that have passed since the election, students and members of university communities have already been targeted with physical violence, threats and acts of racist or otherwise hateful speech. In this climate, and with an eye to the future, we call upon the university leadership and administration to reaffirm their commitment to Tufts’s core principles of access and inclusion. Just as we state our commitment to diversity and social equality, as well as our opposition to discrimination, bigotry, sexual assault and violence against the vulnerable in the aftermath of the election, we ask that university leadership remain committed to Tufts’s values of being a university that welcomes students, faculty and staff from many different races, genders, religions, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds and national origins. We invite them to state their absolute commitment that no forms of hate speech, bullying, harassment or intimidation will be accepted. We must protect academic freedom and ask the university to assure faculty that we will be able to express our views in the classroom and teach and communicate ideas without being disciplined or suppressed.

At this time, we ask for the following:

A university statement confirming core values of respect, compassion, equality, accessibility and academic freedom, Robust and ongoing provisions for the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and faculty who are Muslim, undocumented, female, disabled, black, Latinx, people of color, immigrants, refugees and LGBTQ+ in the post-election climate, Continued support for the six student centers and their directorships, the University Chaplaincy, as well as for The Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora (RCD), The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) and related departments and programs, Commitment to strengthening the role of the Diversity Council at the highest administrative levels and to replacing the departing Chief Diversity Officer in an expedited manner, Ensuring that the entire campus is a space where all students may congregate without threat, Specifically declaring Tufts a sanctuary campus and pledging to protect undocumented students and faculty from deportation; more generally declaring Tufts a sanctuary for any individuals subject to threats or harm on the basis of their identity or political beliefs.

As a first step, we ask university leadership to hold a public forum to listen to post-election concerns of the Tufts community, as well as to call for ideas regarding ways that the university may best proceed in responding to present and future challenges to our core values.

Lisa Lowe, Professor of English, Director of the Center for the Humanities Kamran Rastegar, Associate Professor, International Literary and Cultural Studies Christina Sharpe, Associate Professor of English, Africana, & Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Kris Manjapra, Associate Professor of History, Director of Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism, & Diaspora Heather Curtis, Associate Professor of Religion, Director of American Studies Sabina Vaught, Associate Professor, Chair of Department of Education, Director of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Pawan Dhingra, Professor of Sociology, Chair of Department of Sociology Joseph D. Litvak, Professor of English, Chair of Department of English Pedro Angel Palou, Professor of Latin American Literature, Chair of Department of Romance Languages Heather Nathans, Professor of Drama, Chair of Department of Drama & Dance Brian Hatcher, Professor and Packard Chair of Theology and Chair of Department of Religion Sarah Pinto, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Chair of Department of Anthropology Beatrice Manz, Professor of History, Chair of Department of History Peter Probst, Professor of Art History, Chair of Art History H. Adlai Murdoch, Professor of Romance Languages, Director of Africana Studies Ujjayant Chakravorty, Professor of Economics, Interim Director of Environmental Studies Helen Marrow, Associate Professor of Sociology, Interim Director of Latino Studies Kendra Field, Assistant Professor of History Freeden Oeur, Assistant Professor of Sociology Lee C. Edelman, Fletcher Professor of English Natalie Shapero, Professor of the Practice of Poetry, Department of English Matt Hooley, Visiting Assistant Professor of Native American Studies Jay Cantor, Professor of English Samuel Sommers, Professor of Psychology Sonia Hofkosh, Associate Professor of English, Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Judith Haber, Professor of English Julian Agyeman, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Noe Montez, Assistant Professor of Drama & Dance, Director of Graduate Studies in Drama Steve Cohen, Senior Lecturer in Education Ellen Pinderhughes, Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development Jayanthi Mistry, Associate Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development Rachel Applebaum, Assistant Professor of History John Fyler, Professor of English Steve Marrone, Professor of History Jean Wu, Senior Lecturer in American Studies Elizabeth J. Remick, Associate Professor of Political Science Pearl Robinson, Associate Professor of Political Science Ronna Johnson, Lecturer in Department of English Rebecca Kaiser Gibson, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Department of English John Lurz, Assistant Professor, Department of English Katrina Moore, Director, Africana Center Linell Yugawa, Director, Asian American Center Rubén Salinas Stern, Director, The Latino Center Amahl Bishara, Associate Professor of Anthropology Adriana Zavala, Associate Professor of Art History and Latino Studies M. Ann Easterbrooks, Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development Nathan Wolff, Assistant Professor of English John McDonald, Professor of Music Elizabeth B. Lemons, Senior Lecturer in Religion Jennifer Eyl, Assistant Professor of Religion Keith B. Maddox, Associate Professor of Psychology Grace Talusan, Lecturer in English Jess Keiser, Assistant Professor, Department of English Alisha Rankin, Associate Professor, Department of History Ayanna Kim Thomas, Director of the Graduate Program, Associate Professor of Psychology Holly A. Taylor, Professor of Psychology, Adjunct Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Co-Director, Center for Applied Brain & Cognitive Sciences Penn Loh, Lecturer and Director of Community Practice, Department of Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning Gary Goldstein, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy Sheldon Krimsky, Stern Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Dept of Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning Pablo M. Ruiz, Associate Professor, Department of Romance Languages Laurie S. Goldman, Lecturer in Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning Sumeeta Srinivasan Lecturer in Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning Barbara Parmenter, Lecturer, Department of Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning Carol Wilkinson, Lecturer/Graduate Student Instructor Mentor, Department of English Paul Joseph, Professor, Department of Sociology Carl W. C. Beckman, Lecturer/Graduate Student Instructor Mentor, Department of English Charles Inouye, Professor of Japanese, Co-Director of International Literary and Visual Studies Monica White Ndounou, Associate Professor of Drama and Dance, Africana and American Studies, Film and Media Studies and International Literary and Visual Studies Jeremy Melius, Assistant Professor of Art History Jeanne Marie Penvenne, Professor of History Natalie Masuoka, Associate Professor of Political Science, Director, Asian American Studies Program Zeina Hakim, Associate Professor of French Mark Cronin-Golumb, Professor of Biomedical Engineering Christine M. McWayne, Associate Professor, Director of Early Childhood Education, Department of Child Study & Human Development Alexander Blanchette, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Elizabeth Foster, Associate Professor of History Greg Carleton, Professor of Russian Studies, Chair of Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies Ayesha Jalal, Mary Richardson Professor of History, Director of Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies Jane Etish-Andrews, Director of the International Center Ricky Crano, Lecturer in English Nina Gerassi-Navarro, Professor of Romance Languages, Director of Latin American Studies Sarah Sobieraj, Associate Professor of Sociology John Castellot, Professor, Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts Medical School Ken Garden, Associate Professor, Department of Religion Gary Leupp, Professor of History Julia Genster, Lecturer, Department of English Gina Kuperberg MD PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology Markus Wilczek, Assistant Professor of German, International Literary and Cultural Studies Elizabeth Ammons, Harriet Fay Professor of English Andrew McClellan, Professor of Art History and Museum Studies Malcolm Turvey, Sol Gittleman Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Director of Film and Media Studies Program Jonathan Strong, Lecturer in English