The New School placed students on interim suspensions following 45 arrests at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on Friday, May 3. All students who received interim suspensions were notified in a letter sent out on Friday and will be investigated by The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for allegedly violating university policies. The meetings will determine the extent of the university’s disciplinary measures, including students’ access to campus housing.
After student conduct investigations are complete, those facing formal suspensions and who live in university housing will likely lose access to their on-campus accommodations. Section 6 of The New School’s 2024 – 2025 Housing Agreement currently states that “a resident for whom housing is terminated for disciplinary reasons receives no refund.”
Kamla Holland, the director of Student Conduct and Community Standards in the provost’s office, ordered the suspensions and drafted the letter addressed to students facing interim suspensions.
According to the letter, students are “prohibited from entering any campus facilities for any reason” for the duration of their interim suspensions. Until formal investigations are complete, “students who live on-campus will have access to their residence hall.”
For the formal investigation process to begin, students placed on interim suspension “must schedule a virtual Student Conduct Hearing with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards within 72 hours of receipt of (the) letter.” Failure to do so will result in the university moving forward with the investigation without the student’s participation.
Amid ongoing police action and arrests at Gaza Solidarity Encampments and Liberated Zones at other private universities, Barnard College at Columbia University gave students 15 minutes to gather their belongings from campus housing after formal suspensions were handed out.
Section 11 of The New School’s 2024 – 2025 Housing License Agreement states that the university reserves the right to “at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion, to change or cancel the Residence assignment, including moving or consolidating Residents as necessary. The University reserves the right to terminate this Agreement for violation of its terms and conditions.”
According to section 7 of the agreement, residents have 72 hours to vacate in the case of withdrawal at the will of the university. If a resident fails to vacate within 72 hours they may incur “monthly charges … of an amount as the Director of Residential Education shall reasonably determine in their sole discretion but not less than $50 a day.”
The agreement also states that if any provision of section 7 is not complied with, “the Resident agrees that the University shall retain all monies paid and the Resident shall not be permitted to register or attend classes, obtain transcripts, or receive a degree or diploma.”
On Friday, The New School chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-TNS) held an emergency faculty meeting to discuss a vote of no confidence in Interim President Donna E. Shalala and the Board of Trustees. During the meeting, AAUP-TNS also voted to pass a list of demands that included lifting all suspensions and dropping charges against students who were arrested.
Additional reporting by Bianca Rodriguez-Mora
There are rules in life and natural consequences to breaking rules. If you think it’s bettering the middle east Arabic countries: go there and see for yourself.
The Director of Student conduct did the proper thing by notifing any student that didnt abide their rules that their housing would be vacated.