Plea to President Sexton
November 7, 2005
Dear President Sexton,
We are now entering the lonely hour before the GSOC strike. Our NYU community, already wounded, will soon be deeply riven, and, whatever the outcome, it will not recover easily or quickly. We are writing to plead with you to avert the conflict, and to re-open negotiations with the union. The power to prevent the damage lies in your hands, and we are asking you to exercise that power to bring peace to our community. We are the faculty who best know the GAs. They are our students, and we have seen the strength of their commitment. When they say that GSOC is not going away, we believe they mean it. Should there be no negotiations now, GSOC will still be here next semester, next year, and for a long time thereafter. If the union is not restored, we will have no peace on this campus for years to come. The result will bring a general malaise to this campus that will be debilitating, not only to teaching, research, administration, and recruitment of top faculty and graduate students, but also to our self-esteem as an institution that has made such progress of late. We have been astonished by the breadth of faculty sympathy for the strike. More than 400 faculty have requested help in moving their classes off-campus, and many more have decided to teach in their own apartments. Faculty at Tisch, Gallatin, Steinhardt, and many FAS departments have passed resolutions to respect the right of faculty and students not to cross the picket line. We know of no other university where faculty have responded, in such overwhelmingnumbers, to a request for voluntary support from a union. This is a clear indication of how deeply NYU faculty feel about supporting the rights of our graduate students. For the sake of the health of our community, we are asking you to sit down with GSOC reps and recognize, as the administration did before, the two principles that are normative in every other NYU contract (the agency shop, and neutral arbitration). We have resolved to talk to you inperson about this issue. A group of us will gather at the Arch tomorrow (Tuesday) and proceed to Bobst at 12.30pm. We sincerely hope that you will meet with us to discuss this last-minute plea.
Faculty Signatories
Thomas Abercrombie, Anthropology, FAS
Gerard Aching, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Rodolfo Aiello, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Gwendolyn Alker, Drama, TSOA
Richard Allen, Cinema Studies, TSOA
Julian Everett Allgood, Bobst Library
Edwin Amenta, Sociology, FAS
Emily Apter, French, FAS
John Archer, English, FAS
Adam Becker, Classics and Religious Studies, FAS
Brigitte Bedos-Rezak, History, FAS
Zvi Ben-Dor, History and Middle Eastern Studies, FAS
Thomas Bender, History, FAS
Lauren Benton, History, FAS
Amy Bentley, Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Steinhardt
Edward Berenson, History and French Studies, FAS
Diane Bertolo, Photography and Imaging, TSOA
Renee Blake, Linguistics, FAS
Eliot Borenstein, Russian and Slavic, FAS
Neil Brenner, Sociology and Metropolitan Studies, FAS
David Brimmer, Drama, TSOA
Barbara Browning, Performance Studies, TSOA
Joy Gould Boyum, Humanities Education, Steinhardt
Jane Burbank, History, FAS
Craig Calhoun, Sociology, FAS
Eduardo Capulong, Lawyering Program, Law School
Herrick Chapman, History and French Studies, FAS
Una Chaudhuri, Drama, TSOA, and English, FAS
Vivek Chibber, Sociology, FAS
Robby Cohen, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Jan Cohen-Cruz, Drama, TSOA
Christopher Collins, English, FAS
Joy Connolly, Classics, FAS
Frederick Cooper, History, FAS
Catherine Coray, Drama, TSOA
Nina Cornyetz, Gallatin
Pam Crabtree, Anthropology, FAS
Patricia Crain, English, FAS
Suzanne Cusick, Music, FAS
Laura Daigen-Ayala, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Arlene Davila, American Studies and Anthropology, FAS
Patrick Deer, English, FAS
Mark Dery, Journalism, FAS
Dipti Desai, Art and Art Professions, Steinhardt
Angela Dillard, Gallatin
Carolyn Dinshaw, Gender and Sexuality and English, FAS
EL Doctorow, English, FAS
Georgina Dopico Black, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Ana Dopico, Comparative Literature and Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Thomas Drysdale, Drama, TSOA
Lisa Duggan, American Studies and Gender and Sexuality, FAS
Stephen Duncombe, Gallatin
Troy Duster, Sociology, FAS
Ada Ferrer, History, FAS
Hartry Field, Philosophy, FAS
Alla Fil, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Sybille Fischer, Spanish & Portuguese, FAS
JoEllen Fisherkeller, Culture and Communication, Steinhardt
Miriam Frank,General Studies, SCPS
Elaine Freedgood, English, FAS
Sharon Friedman, Gallatin
Everett Frost, Film and Television, TSOA
Norm Fruchter, Education Policy, Steinhardt
David Garland, Law School and Sociology, FAS
Brett Gary, Culture and Communication, Steinhardt
Kathleen Gerson, Sociology, FAS
Michael Gilsenan, Middle Eastern Studies and Anthropology, FAS
Faye Ginsburg, Anthropology and Culture and Media, FAS
Jeff Goodwin, Sociology, FAS
Linda Gordon, History, FAS
Manu Goswami, History, FAS
Greg Grandin, History, FAS
Adam Green, American Studies, and History, FAS
Ed Guerrero, Cinema Studies, TSOA and Africana Studies, FAS
Douglas Guthrie, Sociology, FAS
Sally Guttmacher, Health Studies, Steinhardt
Yukiko Hanawa, East Asian Studies, FAS
Lynne Haney, Sociology, FAS
Phillip Brian Harper, American Studies and English, FAS
Martin Harries, English, FAS
Christine Harrington, Politics, FAS
Vicki Hart, Drama, TSOA
Barbara Heyns, Sociology, FAS
Robert Hinton, Africana Studies, FAS
Martha Hodes, History, FAS
Ruth Horowitz, Sociology, FAS
Philip Hosay, International Education, Steinhardt
Diana Hughes, Psychology, FAS
Kathy Hull, General Studies, SCPS
Bernd Huppauf, German, FAS
Steve Hutkins, Gallatin
Virginia Jackson, English, FAS
Walter Johnson, American Studies and History, FAS
Jonathan Kahana, Cinema Studies, TSOA
Marion Kaplan, Hebrew and Judaic Studies, FAS
Rebecca Karl, History and East Asian Studies, FAS
Eric Klinenberg, Sociology, FAS
Terry Knickerbocker, Drama, TSOA
Barbara Krauthamer, History, FAS
Karen Kupperman, History, FAS
Andrew Lee, Bobst Library
Susie Linfield, Journalism, FAS
Zachary Lockman, Middle Eastern Studies and History, FAS
Laurence Lockridge, English, FAS
Michele Lowrie, Classics, FAS
Robert Lubar, Institute of Fine Arts, GSAS
Steven Lukes, Sociology, FAS
Richard Maisel, Sociology, FAS
Robert Malgady, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Jane Malmo, Drama, TSOA
Julie Malnig, Gallatin,
Emily Martin, Anthropology, FAS
Randy Martin, Art and Public Policy, TSOA
Paul Mattingly, History, FAS
John Mayher, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
John Maynard, English, FAS
Anna McCarthy, Cinema Studies, TSOA
Robert McChesney, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, FAS
Micki McGee, Draper Program, FAS
Elizabeth McHenry, English, FAS
Sally Merry, Anthropology, FAS
Mark Crispin Miller, Culture and Communication, Steinhardt
Toby Miller, American Studies and CLACS, FAS
Bella Mirabella, Gallatin
Nicholas Mirzoeff, Art and Art Professions, Steinhardt
Timothy Mitchell, Politics and Middle Eastern Studies, FAS
Sylvia Molloy, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Harvey Molotch, Metropolitan Studies and Sociology, FAS
Jairo Moreno, Music, FAS
Jim Morgan, Fine Arts, FAS
Jose Munoz, Performance Studies, FAS
Fred Myers, Anthropology, FAS
Judith N é methy, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Eug P ne Nicole, French, FAS
Lara Nielsen, Drama, TSOA
Molly Nolan, History, FAS
Pedro Noquera, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Lorie Novak, Photography and Imaging, TSOA
Tavia Nyong=o, Performance Studies, TSOA
Bertell Ollman, Politics, FAS
Christopher Otter, History, FAS
Crystal Parikh, American Studies and English, FAS
Carol Parness, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Cyrus Patell, English, FAS
Michael Peachin, Classics, FAS
Marta Chaves Peixoto, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Ann Pellegrini, Religious Studies, FAS, and Performance Studies, TSOA.
Kimberly Phillips-Fein, Gallatin
Dana Polan, Cinema Studies, TSOA
Mary Louise Pratt, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Arvind Rajagopal, Culture and Communication, Steinhardt
Rayna Rapp, Anthropology, FAS
Christopher Ratte, Classics, FAS
Nancy Regalado, French, FAS
Timothy Reiss, Comparative Literature, FAS
Fred Ritchin, Photography and Imaging, TSOA
Moss Roberts, East Asian Studies, FAS
Susan Rogers, Anthropology, FAS
Avital Ronell, German, FAS
Renato Rosaldo, Latino Studies and Anthropology, FAS
Andrew Ross, American Studies, FAS
Kristin Ross, Comparative Literature, FAS
Kathleen Ross, Spanish and Portugese, FAS
Jeffrey Sammons, History, FAS
Sukhdev Sandhu, A/P/A and English, FAS
Bambi Schieffelin, Anthropology, FAS
Martin Schain, Politics and European Studies; FAS
Ned Seeman, Chemistry, FAS
Richard Sennett, Sociology, FAS
William Serrin, Journalism, FAS
Svati Shah, Gender and Sexuality, FAS
Karen Shimakawa, Performance Studies, TSOA and A/P/A, FAS
Beth Shinn, Psychology, FAS
Ella Shohat, Art and Public Policy, TSOA, and Middle Eastern Studies, FAS
Patrick Shrout, Psychology, FAS
George Shulman, Gallatin
Richard Sieburth, Comparative Literature and French, FAS
William Simon, Cinema Studies, TSOA
John Singler, Linguistics, FAS
Lok Siu, A/P/A and Anthropology, FAS
Robert Sklar, Cinema Studies, TSOA
Trika Smith-Burke, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Alan Sokal, Physics, FAS
Jeffrey Spear, English, FAS
Judith Stacey, Gender and Sexuality and Sociology, FAS
Robert Stam, Cinema Studies, TSOA
Mitchell Stephens, Journalism, FAS
Guenther Stotzky, Biology, FAS
Lisa M. Stulberg, Humanities and Social Sciences, Steinhardt
Marita Sturken, Culture and Communication, Steinhardt
Eduardo Subirats, Spanish and Portuguese, FAS
Constance Sutton, Anthropology, FAS
Diana Taylor, Performance Studies, TSOA
Jack Tchen, A/P/A and Gallatin
Paul Thompson, Film and Television, TSOA
Sinclair Thomson, History, FAS
Elayne Tobin, General Studies, SCPS
Diana Turk, Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt
Jim Uleman, Psychology, FAS
Siva Vaidhyanathan, Culture and Communication, Steinhardt
Keith Vincent, Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies, FAS
Robert Vorlicky, Drama, TSOA
Joanna Waley-Cohen, History, FAS
Daniel Walkowitz, History and Metropolitan Studies, FAS
Marc Walters, Chemistry, FAS
Bryan Waterman, English, FAS
John Waters, English, FAS
Ellen Willis, Journalism, FAS
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Psychology and Public Policy, FAS
Marilyn Young, History, FAS
George Yudice, American Studies and CLACS, FAS
Caitlin Zaloom, Metropolitan Studies and American Studies, FAS
Xudong Zhang, Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies, FAS
Edward Ziter, Drama, TSOA
Angela Zito, Religious Studies and Anthropology, FAS