The New School’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has been barred from organizing on campus for what has now been over five months. Members said the university suspended them for posting on their Instagram about a professor allegedly harassing and striking a student organizer.

The incident took place on Nov. 19, 2025, according to two students who witnessed the altercation. SJP posted about the issue — without disclosing the names of anyone involved — six days later. The group has been suspended ever since.

The professor was identified as Anna Kiper by a student who was granted anonymity due to fears of retaliation from administrators. Kiper is a part-time assistant professor at Parsons School of Design.

Following the incident, The New School’s Title IX office completed an investigation into the accusation, according to a letter sent on March 1 from Rhonnie Jaus, vice president for equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and compliance at the university’s Title IX office.

The Title IX office found Kiper violated sections three (Individual Speech Guidelines and Academic Freedom) and eleven (Cooperation) of the university employee code of conduct, according to the letter. It confirmed that such conclusions were made after the office’s investigation into the incident.

Despite Kiper being found guilty of violating the sections, SJP is still facing suspension.

This investigation’s findings have been forwarded to Anne Gaines, executive dean of Parsons School of Design, according to the letter. 

The New School Free Press sent multiple emails to both Todd Pettiford, assistant provost of student affairs and assistant dean of students, and professor Kiper, requesting a comment on the situation. Neither responded at the time of publication.

When asked for confirmation about the case ruling, Will Wilbur, director of communications, said, “The New School does not comment on investigations or matters relating to employment status.”

This is the second time in two years that the student-run organization has faced disciplinary action from the university administration. The first was during the student encampments in spring 2024, held in solidarity with other pro-Palestinian movements and protesting against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Kiper has been teaching at The New School for 24 years, starting in 2001. NSFP was unable to confirm whether she is currently teaching a course at the time of publication, though she does not have any classes listed in the course catalog. 

The incident

NSFP spoke with two students who witnessed the alleged confrontation back in November, both of whom have been granted anonymity for fear of administrative retaliation. One of the students said the professor was walking through the University Center lobby and approached SJP’s table with her phone out, recording the two students sitting there. 

“She was recording video and said that … she wanted [the students’] faces on camera so she could expose [them] for being anti-Semites,” the first interviewed student said. 

They said that the professor continued recording the SJP members, getting closer to both of the students and getting in their faces. One of the students took out their own phone to record evidence of the incident. 

“It’s not like a protest or demonstration situation.
[It’s] just sitting there at the table with [a] keffiyeh, and … a sign that was like, ‘Join SJP,’” the first student said.

After one of the SJP members pulled out their phone to record, the professor walked over to the elevators, seemingly trying not to be captured on camera, according to the students interviewed about the confrontation.

The student who was recording followed the professor, and this is when they were struck, the first student said. They described the first strike as a punch in the arm, and the second as a hit at the hand, in an attempt to knock the phone away.

The New School Free Press was able to review the video taken by the SJP member, and can confirm that Kiper did physically reach toward the student filming, and even knocked the phone in their hand. NSFP has not been able to review security footage of the incident, but was told that this footage, as well as the video taken by the student, were reviewed by the university. 

The first student said they could hear the encounter from where SJP’s table was set up right next to the security desk in the lobby. “I could hear shouting, and I could hear my comrade saying, ‘You just hit me, I can’t believe you just hit me.’ So I assume security also heard that, but still at that point, didn’t do anything,” they said.

The response

Following the event, the SJP members were able to file an official complaint with security, according to the first student. Another bystander went up to the security desk following the altercation and identified the professor as Kiper, which the members then used to file a complaint against her. Security called a campus safety supervisor, who took a statement from the SJP members, according to the first student interviewed. 

The two interviewed students confirmed that the involved members had received an initial response to the filed complaint. Not long after reporting the incident, the involved students were contacted by two individuals from the university’s human resources department: Rhonnie Jaus and Gene Puno-DeLeon, the associate director of Title IX and equal opportunity.

The interviewed students mentioned phone calls with Pettiford. According to the students, Pettiford seemed to place responsibility for the altercation on SJP, rather than Kiper. A call with the human resources office the member had, on the other hand, was described by the first student as “more apologetic.”

“[Pettiford] asked what we would have done differently … He also suggested that we download the campus safety app, which is hilarious, considering we were right next to campus safety,” the first student said.

Jaus sent a letter to SJP on March 1, informing them that the investigation into the incident had concluded. The letter said Kiper was found guilty of violating sections in the University Policy On Harassment, Discrimination, Prohibited Relationships, Title IX, and Non-Title IX Sexual Harassment and Misconduct.

The letter said the findings were forwarded to Dean Gaines.

SJP’s suspension

Following the incident, the SJP Instagram account posted a detailed description of the incident, without disclosing the names of anyone involved. 

According to SJP, in response to the Instagram post, the university’s Student Conduct and Community Standards office issued the organization an interim suspension until further notice. NSFP has not been able to review the suspension document. 

SJP said they were given 72 hours to respond to the suspension email and schedule a meeting with the conduct office. Even though SJP responded as requested, they still have yet to hear a response from admin or have their suspension lifted by the time of publication, five months later. 

“The restrictions are basically as if [SJP] were nonexistent as an organization. They’re demanding we don’t represent SJP in any way … no meetings, no booking rooms, no table, no posting,” the second student said about the suspension. 

The students explained that this lack of responsiveness is common in SJP’s experience when communicating with the university. They said that in the past, they would be given certain deadlines to respond to something, and then would be left waiting for a response. 

According to the two students, SJP has still not received any communication from the university administration regarding when or whether their suspension will be lifted. 

SJP’s history on campus

SJP has had an active presence on campus over the years, organizing events and demonstrations for the New School community to raise awareness and show solidarity for the ongoing genocide in Palestine, along with other humaniatrian issues.

In April 2024, SJP organized an encampment in the UC lobby to show solidarity for other pro-Palestine movements happening on other campuses, and to protest against Israel’s occupation of Palestine. As part of the student-led effort, SJP issued demands including divestment from “corporations benefiting from and complicit in the ongoing genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” “complete financial transparency” from the university, “a full academic boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions,” and protection for pro-Palestine protesters on campus, including a refusal from the university to collaborate with the NYPD.

Former interim President Donna Shalala negotiated with SJP in person during the student encampment in 2024, and she later agreed to schedule a meeting with SJP and the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees. 

SJP had already been placed on probation by the university as of April 19, 2024, for “violation of ‘Demonstration Guidelines,’” according to an Instagram post shared by SJP. 

This meant SJP was banned from hosting public events or using university resources until May 2025, and SJP members were required to complete a “de-escalation and peaceful demonstration” training, the post said.
In one instance during faculty and student encampments around campus in spring 2024, 13 people were arrested while protesting the genocide in Palestine at a rally on May 10, 2024 supporting the Refaat Alareer Faculty Solidarity Encampment, after two counter-protesters pepper-sprayed multiple demonstrators outside the University Center. The upheaval happened just one week after the massive sweep of almost four dozen arrests at the student-led Gaza Solidarity Encampment, effectively ending the protest effort and inspiring faculty to hold down the fort in their stead.