On May 8, the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors plans to put forward a vote of no confidence resolution against President Shafik.

On Wednesday, May 8, the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors plans to introduce an amended vote of no confidence resolution against President Minouche Shafik. This vote will be posed to the Arts and Sciences faculty; the full text of the amended resolution can be found below. 

In the amended resolution, the AAUP cited President Shafik’s “unprecedented assault on students’ rights” and “violation of the fundamental requirements of academic freedom and shared governance.” Firstly, they described President Shafik’s April 17 congressional testimony, claiming she violated academic freedom by discussing faculty investigations and promising to fire faculty members, citing individual privacy concerns. 

The AAUP also attested that President Shafik violated the principle of shared governance when permitting the NYPD to enter Columbia’s campus on April 18 and April 30, as she did not consult with the University Senate Executive Committee. This action was also censured by the AAUP on April 19 in a statement where the Association attested President Shafik did not comply with Section 444 of University Statutes, which states that the president must also gain approval from the Executive Committee. 

The Resolution of No Confidence also discussed President Shafik’s statement that the original Gaza Solidarity Encampment’s protesters posed a “clear and present danger.” Calling this statement “false,” the AAUP also cited NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell’s remark that the protesters “were peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever, and were saying what they wanted to say in a peaceful manner.” 

The AAUP also stated that the lockdown of campus has put a damper on access to labs, offices, and libraries. They noted that campus lockdown and police action have “harmed our community and our reputation.” 

The AAUP concluded their statement by attesting, “A vote of no confidence in the President is the first step towards rebuilding our community,” describing hopes of “re-establishing” values of free speech, shared governance, and the right to peaceful assembly. 

President Minouche Shafik Resolution of No Confidence Sent by the Columbia Chapter of the American Association of University Professors to Bwog on Tuesday, May 7 at 4:28 pm: 

Resolution of No Confidence in President Shafik

The Columbia members of the American Association of University Professors herewith submits for the consideration of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences a Resolution of No Confidence in President Nemat Shafik. President Shafik’s violation of the fundamental requirements of academic freedom and shared governance, and her unprecedented assault on students’ rights, warrants unequivocal and emphatic condemnation.

President Shafik, in testimony before the House Education and Workforce Committee on April 17, promised to fire faculty, thereby violating the norms, practices, policies, and protections (based on the principle of academic freedom) upon which a university is founded. She again trampled on these norms when she announced that faculty were being investigated for Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and/or Title VI violations, which is itself a violation of the privacy rights of individuals built into the processes of investigation and review. These all constitute clear violations of the AAUP’s principles of tenure and academic freedom, and the University Senate’s “Resolution Reconfirming Our Commitment to the Principles of Academic Freedom and Shared Governance,” which states that “University policy in general… should not be set by, or in deference to, entities external to the institution.”

President Shafik also violated the fundamental obligations of shared governance when she ignored the opinions of the faculty and students on the Senate Executive Committee who unanimously rejected her request to summon armed New York City police onto our campus.

President Shafik falsely claimed that the students who were arrested for protesting on April 18 posed a “clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University,” when in fact they “were peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever, and were saying what they wanted to say in a peaceful manner,” according to the NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell. Her actions have endangered these students’ welfare, and her draconian and disproportionate punishments have endangered their futures.

Twelve days later, President Shafik compounded the damage by choosing again to call the police to arrest student protesters. This decision was made without consultation with the University Senate.

These offenses culminated in a police action that has harmed our community and our reputation. For days afterwards, faculty, staff, and students have been locked out of our labs, offices, and libraries. Equally damaging are plans to expel protesters, announced before the disciplinary process has run its course.

The President’s choices to ignore our statutes and our norms of academic freedom and shared governance, to have our students arrested, and to impose a lockdown of our campus with continuing police presence, have irrevocably undermined our confidence in her.

A vote of no confidence in the President is the first step towards rebuilding our community and re-establishing the University’s core values of free speech, the right to peaceful assembly, and shared governance.

Update made on Wednesday, May 8 at 9:58 pm:

On May 8, the AAUP passed the amended Resolution of No Confidence. Starting tomorrow, Thursday, May 9, the AAUP will begin voting on the morion of no confidence against President Shafik. Voting will be open for one week among the Arts and Sciences faculty. 

Update made on Wednesday, May 8 at 11:00 pm:

A total of 434 faculty members voted to begin the vote of no confidence. While 295 voted for, 107 voted against and 32 abstained. Around 1,000 faculty members are eligible to participate in the vote of no confidence over the next week.

A member of Columbia AAUP stated, “Through the upcoming vote, my hope is that the faculty, which has largely been sidelined as the administration has made a series of progressively worse decisions, will convey to President Shafik that an urgent course correction is needed.” 

Update made on Thursday, May 16 at 2:26 pm:

In a joint press release on Thursday, May 16, the Barnard and Columbia chapters of the American Association of University Professors announced the Columbia University Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted no confidence in Columbia President Minouche Shafik with 65% in support earlier this week. The statement also reiterated the April 30 vote of no confidence for Barnard President Laura Rosenbury with the support of 77% of voting faculty.

The motion for no confidence in Rosenbury “highlights numerous failings,” the release read. The AAUP faculty cited “harsh, arbitrary, and unfair disciplinary practices against student protesters,” “infringement of principles of shared governance,” and “repeated violations of academic freedom and freedom of speech for both faculty and students.” The statement classified Rosenbury’s leadership as “undermining the culture of Barnard” punitive action and non-cooperation.

The motion for no confidence in Shafik referenced her April 17 testimony before Congress, claiming her “willingness to allow Congress to interfere in confidential decisions regarding faculty hiring, retention, and conduct.” The motion also highlighted Shafik’s failure to consult with the University Senate and her decision to “invite armed police onto the Columbia campus throughout the academic year,” specifically on April 18 and 30, asserting that these actions “endangered… students” and posed a “serious threat to the core values of the University.”

In their statement, the AAUP alleged that peaceful protests “are being weaponized to undermine the independence and integrity of educational institutions” with politicians interfering with curriculum and administrative University operations.

In addition to the votes of no confidence, they joined the University Senate’s call for further investigations into “the events that have unfolded on our campus since October 7, 2023” which would be conducted by an independent third party whose findings would be released in their entirety.

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