Open Letter to the USC Academic Senate

Sent to Professor Margo Apostolos, President, USC Academic Senate on April 29, 2024

To: Professor Margo Apostolos, President, USC Academic Senate

From: Undersigned faculty

RE: Urgent Investigation of President Folt and Provost Guzman 

Date: April 29, 2024

We, the undersigned faculty members, write to express our deep concern and distress over the persistent and escalating antisemitism and anti-Zionism at USC. The harassment and intimidation of Jewish students has grown exponentially and has been allowed to escalate, reflecting a lack of prompt and decisive action from the administration.

The frequency and severity of these antisemitic incidents have grown at an alarming rate since the brutal terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. They have been exacerbated by chants inciting violence, the behavior of some pro-Palestinian faculty, the university’s inadequate response to the selection of Asna Tabassum as valedictorian, and the tolerance of intimidation of Jewish students and vandalism of campus property. The lack of transparency and prompt action by the President and Provost have led to a dangerous rhetoric that blames Jews for manipulating university decisions—a narrative disturbingly reminiscent of the infamous “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

Currently, the campus is unsafe for Jewish and Zionist students. The policy instructing students to report complaints and wait patiently for results has failed. We are now at the end of the academic year with students going into finals fearful and despairing. Campus operation has been disrupted and the antisemitic and extremist expressions and the vandalism continue unabated. The President and Provost have abandoned their commitment to zero tolerance of harassment and intimidation and to the protection of ALL members of our community. 

We urgently call on the Academic Senate to request a report from the President and Provost on their policies and outcomes related to protecting all students at USC. The administration must provide information to the campus community on how recent decisions, beginning with the selection of valedictorian to the handling of the subsequent disruptions of campus operation, have been made; what the specific security threats cited for the cancellation of valedictorian speech were; why the administration continues to allow protesting students and outside agitators to violate university rules; and what the full results of investigations of students’ complaints have been. Current policies have led to violating the due process rights of both students and professors. We need transparent answers; precise and effective policies, which are enforced strictly and even-handedly; and explanations of where free expression ends and impermissible harassment of individuals and disruption of the function of the university begin. We request that this information be made available before the 2024 Commencement date.

We need our campus cleared from illegal encampments and the perpetrators disciplined. Otherwise, Jewish students ought not return to USC for the next academic year.

This is not about freedom of expression, which we all hold dearly. This is about intimidation, disturbing the learning environment, and blatant acts of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, which the administration promised, but failed, to prevent.

Signatories (last updated 7:00, May 1, 2024):

Kenneth S. Alexander, Professor of Mathematics, Dornsife

Lisa Ansell Schneider, Associate Director, USC Casden Institute

Hagit Arieli Chai, Hebrew Program Language Coordinator, Dornsife

Don B. Arnold, Professor, Biological Sciences, Dornsife

Itzhak Bars, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Dornsife

Nissim Benbassat, Assistant Professor of Clinical Dentistry, Ostrow School of Dentistry

Eyal Ben-Isaac, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine and CHLA

Jack M. Berger, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Anesthesiology, Keck School of Medicine

Ilanit Brook, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

Harry Cynamon, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

Tanaz Farzan Danialifar, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

Jahan Dawlaty, Professor of Chemistry, Dornsife

Vita Droutman, Lecturer of Psychology, Dornsife

Uri Elkayam, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Director of Maternal Cardiology, Keck School of Medicine

Alana Epstein, EAP program manager, CHLA

Dmitry Eremin, Research Affiliate, Bridge Institute

Ronald M. Ferdman, Associate Professor Clinical Pediatrics. Department of Pediatrics Keck School of Medicine, Chief Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy CHLA

Henryk Flashner, Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Nancy Forner, Professor, School of Cinematic Arts

Lisa Fox, Director of Talent Development, School of Cinematic Arts

Philippe S. Friedlich, Teresa and Byron Pollitt Family Chair in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics & Surgery, Keck School of Medicine

Mitchell Geffner, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

Patricia A. George, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Dornsife

Brad Goldberg, Pediatric Emergency Physician and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Larry Goldstein, Professor of Mathematics, Dornsife

Leana Golubchik, Stephen and Etta Varra Professor, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering

Richard Green, Adjunct Professor of Clinical Dentistry

Mike Gruntman, Professor of Astronautics, Viterbi School of Engineering

Susan Hess, Associate Professor of Social Work Practicum Education, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Selma Holo, Professor Emerita Art History and Executive Director Emerita USC Museums, Dornsife

Robert Jacobs, Emeritus Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

David E. James, Emeritus Professor, School of Cinematic Arts

Atoosa Javaheri, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Keck School of Medicine

Jeremy Kagan, Professor, School of Cinematic Arts

Sara Kreimer, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Keck School of Medicine

Vitaly Kresin, Professor of Physics, Dornsife

Anna I. Krylov, USC Associates Chair in Natural Sciences and Professor of Chemistry, Dornsife, Member, International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, American Academy of Sciences and Letters, Foreign Member, Academia Europaea

Clive Lennox, Associates Professor of Accounting, Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting

Emily Liman, Professor of Biological Sciences, Dornsife

Richard Lubman, Associate Professor of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine

Stanley Malamed, Emeritus Professor of Dentistry, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

Rebecca Margolis, Associate Professor, Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine

Esme Mason, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Gerard Medioni, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering

Michael Melnick DDS, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Developmental Genetics, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

Jerry M. Mendel, Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering

Michalle Mor Barak, Professor, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Dornsfie

Alan L. Nager, Director, Emergency & Transport Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

Alessandra Nager, RN BSN CPN VA-BC/CHLA and USC Medical School

Janet Oldak, Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Bioengineering, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry and Viterbi School of Engineering

Etan Orgel, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine

Richard S. Panush, American College of Physicians, Master, American College of Rheumatology, Professor of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine

Stefan Pollack, Adjunct Professor, Annenberg School for Communication

Tiffany Pouldar, MD Pain Fellow, Anesthesiologist, Anesthesiology and Critical Care

Hanna Reisler, University Professor, Lloyd Armstrong Jr. Chair in Science and Engineering, Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dornsife

Suzanne Roberts, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and Keck School of Medicine

Remo Rohs, Professor and Chair of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Dornsife

Emily Rose, Director, Pre-Health Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine

Lawrence Ross, Professor Emeritus Pediatrics, CHLA

Eric H. Roth, Master Lecturer, American Language Institute

Ilan Rotstein, Professor of Dentistry, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

Lucille Rotstein, Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

Anna Ryabets-Lienhard, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Robert Schiller, Professor, School of Cinematic Arts

Dan Schnur, Adjunct Instructor, Annenberg School for Communication

Louis Schwarzbach, Assistant Professor of Dentistry (retired)

Lucio Soibelman, Fred Champion Estate Chair in Engineering Professor, Viterbi School of Engineering

John Strauss, Professor of Economics, Dornsife

Jennifer Treweek, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering

Laura Vasquez RN, CPON BMT Nurse Coordinator

Cheryl Wakslak, Associate Professor of Management and Organization, Marshall School of Business

Arieh Warshel, Nobel Laureate, Dana and David Dornsife Chair in Chemistry, Member, National Academy of Sciences, Professor of Chemistry, Dornsife

Michael Waterman, Emeritus University Professor, Dornsife

Mark Weinstein, Associate Professor Emeritus, Finance and Business Economics, Marshall School of Business

Ruth Weisberg, Professor, Roski School of Art and Design

Curt Wittig, Paul A. Miller Professor of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and Professor of Chemistry, Dornsife

Regina Wittenberg Moerman, Accounting Circle Professor of Business Administration, Marshall School of Business

Adina Wizenfeld, RN CHLA

Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias, Professor of the Practice of Environmental Studies and Political Science, Dornsife

Samuel Yanofsky, Vice Chair for Medical Education and Professional Development, CHLA ACCM

Jennifer Zabinsky, Assistant Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology,  Keck School of Medicine

Michael Zyda, Emeritus Professor of Practice, Viterbi School of Engineering