{"id":424,"date":"2024-06-09T23:55:34","date_gmt":"2024-06-09T23:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmcreativa.com\/?p=424"},"modified":"2024-08-12T10:41:03","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T10:41:03","slug":"extremely-disturbing-concerns-over-academic-freedom-at-nyu-abu-dhabi-surface-following-policies-restricting-attire-at-graduation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmcreativa.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/09\/extremely-disturbing-concerns-over-academic-freedom-at-nyu-abu-dhabi-surface-following-policies-restricting-attire-at-graduation\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Extremely disturbing\u2019: Concerns over academic freedom at NYU Abu Dhabi surface following policies restricting attire at graduation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New regulations at NYU Abu Dhabi\u2019s commencement ceremony barred graduates from decorating their caps and gowns with scarves or symbols and carrying posters or \u201cflag-like attire,\u201d with one Ph.D. student allegedly detained for a week and deported after pulling out a keffiyeh at the event, multiple sources told WSN. The regulations reflected escalating concerns over academic freedom at the campus, which students and faculty described in \u201cvery distressing accounts\u201d to NYU\u2019s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sources said the Ph.D. student, who they did not identify, pulled a keffiyeh from under their gown and yelled \u201cfree Palestine\u201d as they crossed the stage, which was met with applause from members of the audience, according to multiple students. Other graduates turned their thumbs down as they walked, with some having tattooed henna keffiyehs onto their hands and signed \u201cfree Palestine\u201d in American Sign Language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacqueline Hennecke, the commencement\u2019s banner bearer, said that most students refused to shake hands with former NYU Abu Dhabi vice chancellor Mari\u00ebt Westermann and that security instructed graduates to remove their gowns before entering the ceremony.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStudents were definitely upset about the attire restrictions,\u201d Hennecke said in an interview with WSN. \u201cThe day before, Mari\u00ebt Westermann got up on stage and made a speech that claimed that it was a normal thing. She basically claimed that keffiyehs and cultural gear had always been banned and that this was the first year they were enforcing it, which was absolutely silly and ridiculous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

President Linda Mills joined Westermann on stage at this year\u2019s commencement, which was the 11th in the campus\u2019 history and honored its <\/span>largest class<\/span><\/a> to date. The May 22 ceremony also saw several members of the Emirati royal family in attendance \u2014 including Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan \u2014 as well as members of NYU\u2019s board of trustees.<\/span><\/p>\n

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NYU president Linda Mills and NYU Abu Dhabi vice chancellor Mari\u00ebt Westermann at the NYU Abu Dhabi commencement ceremony. (Obtained by WSN)<\/span><\/p>\n

Students at the campus\u2019 commencement told WSN the cameras avoided graduates\u2019 hand gestures and cut larger demonstrations out of the live stream, noting that one student was omitted from the video entirely. They also claimed the video posted online blurred and zoomed out of henna and other markings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they could tell that a student was going to give a thumbs down or do something more aggressive like that, they would cut away very quickly,\u201d Hennecke said. \u201cI talked to my friends and family who were watching from abroad, and I was like, \u2018Did you see this?\u2019 They were like, \u2018No, not at all.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

NYU Abu Dhabi\u2019s live stream of its <\/span>2024 commencement exercises<\/span><\/a>, which included speeches from this year\u2019s student speaker and keynote speaker, was published online separate from the video of <\/span>graduates walking across the stage<\/span><\/a> to receive their diplomas \u2014 unlike previous years, where <\/span>one video<\/span><\/a> documented the entire ceremony. Footage from past commencements at the Abu Dhabi campus also shows dozens of students wearing keffiyehs and other cultural attire. Students said that university administrators had assured them this year would be the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, a May 17 email sent by NYU Abu Dhabi leadership informed graduates they could only wear \u201capproved academic attire\u201d and that they could not bring bags or any items \u201cnot required\u201d for the ceremony. The email came after this year\u2019s commencement was almost canceled, according to sources, and could only take place \u201cunder strict protocols,\u201d messages from a member of NYU Abu Dhabi\u2019s student government obtained by WSN read.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The student, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said they met with administrators to discuss the new regulations and that the changes responded to \u201crecent developments\u201d and \u201cincreased surveillance\u201d by people outside the university, specifically regarding keffiyehs on campus amid on-campus tensions over the war in Gaza. The student also advised others to limit \u201cpublic displays of solidarity\u201d online and in person during commencement.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The May 17 email from NYU Abu Dhabi administration and a recreation of an excerpt of a message sent by a student government member to students via WhatsApp. (Obtained by WSN)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2018Increased surveillance\u2019<\/h2>\n
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According to reports received by NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter, the Emirati government increased its security presence and monitoring of demonstrations at the Abu Dhabi campus over the last few months. Some reported government interrogations of students and faculty regarding their involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. They said these meetings were often followed by search requests from government officials regarding \u201csuspicious activity,\u201d including private social media posts, group affiliations and personal emails.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked for comment, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the university has \u201cno authority\u201d over any nation\u2019s immigration or law enforcement, and that the administration makes \u201csubstantial efforts\u201d to ensure students understand the culture and laws of where they study.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn none of our locations \u2014 including in the United States \u2014 are members of the NYU community immune from local laws,\u201d Beckman wrote in a statement to WSN. \u201cWe are frank with our students, faculty and staff that cultures and laws vary \u2014 sometimes profoundly \u2014 from country to country, and it is those very differences that we want our community members to come to understand and be capable of managing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beckman did not answer questions related to the Emirati government\u2019s alleged uptick in security measures or claims about sanctions and restrictions on pro-Palestinian speech at the Abu Dhabi campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paula Chakravartty, vice president of NYU\u2019s chapter of the AAUP, said one student was questioned after looking to buy a keffiyeh via his social media account, and <\/span>a May 30 statement<\/span><\/a> from the AAUP said students had been threatened with arrest for wearing keffiyeh scarves in groups on campus. The press release also alleged an instance in which faculty who proposed a no-confidence vote in NYU Abu Dhabi\u2019s administration \u2014 similar to <\/span>several votes against Mills<\/span><\/a> at NYU\u2019s Washington Square campus \u2014 was met with obstruction and threats of legal action from the Emirati government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdministration is threatening faculty and making it easier for the government to repress speech when they should be a bulwark against that kind of repression,\u201d Chakravartty said in an interview with WSN. \u201cThey\u2019re not being accountable to the community they serve, which is extremely disturbing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The AAUP statement also said escalated sanctions and surveillance often targeted \u201cstaff, students and nationals from non-Western countries,\u201d and that \u201ca number of them have been detained, intimidated and deported\u201d based on surveillance of their private email exchanges and private social media posts. In the 2023-24 academic year, NYU Abu Dhabi hosted <\/span>around 2,000 students from over 120 countries<\/span><\/a>, with around four out of five students having attended from outside the United Arab Emirates.<\/span><\/p>\n