President Linda Mills has maintained close correspondence with an NYU parent and founder of an influential Facebook group that pressures universities to sanction pro-Palestinian protesters using financial threats and intimidation. The group, Mothers Against Campus Antisemitism, has most recently posted a message calling for the deportation of “foreign students and faculty that support Hamas” with a link to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tipline.
A Friday report from NYU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors detailed that Elizabeth Rand, MACA founder, has repeatedly emailed Mills with demands that NYU suspend students protesting Israel’s war in Gaza and threats to send “her people” if it does not. On Dec. 12, Rand sent Mills a video of a protest outside Bobst Library taken by another parent in the group, adding that she would “be happy to send them back” if the protest continued. Shortly after, a senior advisor to Mills notified her that “arrests were made” and they had “cleared the disruption.”
In a statement to WSN, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said coverage of the communications “implies connections and influence that simply aren’t present.”
Rand maintained communication with Mills over winter break, including an email claiming she had “just sent” Mills $13,000 and was “outraged” at the end-of-semester protests. It is unclear what the money was intended for. Later in January, Rand reposted a WSN article detailing 13 students’ suspension and wrote, “I’ll take some credit for this one.”
Rand’s communication with Mills dates back to last spring, before her child attended NYU, when she emailed Mills with extensive criticism of the university’s approach to pro-Palestinian protests at graduation ceremonies and throughout the year. At the beginning of the fall semester, she sent an email requesting her son change rooms because his roommate linked a site collecting donations for Palestine in their Instagram — to which she received a direct response from Mills affirming that her son had been relocated to a single room.
“This act of favoritism is part of a larger pattern of unequal treatment when it comes to pro-Palestinian students, a potential violation of Title VI,” AAUP President Anna McCarthy said in an interview with WSN. “So the tacit approval of MACA’s announced plans to monitor student protest activities on campus is an additional dodgy move on Mills’ part.”
She also expressed concern that students with accommodations from the Moses Center for Accessibility and Inclusive Culture, who may have requested a room change for medical needs, were unable to make necessary arrangements. Beckman told WSN that “requests to change roommates are common.”
McCarthy added that the frequent communication with a university parent was also a potential breach of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which prohibits administrators from sharing students’ educational or disciplinary records with parents unless legally compelled. She specifically referenced a string of emails with Mills after Rand’s son received a disciplinary hearing request for alleged involvement in the Dec. 11 protest, which Rand firmly denied.
Rand received two apologies directly from Mills, reaffirming that her son would not be sanctioned and congratulating him on his “straight A’s at Stern.” In a post with screenshots of the correspondence, Rand said the response demonstrates “the power of MACA.”
“I’m so sorry this happened,” Mills wrote in the second email. “Please know that the team has taken this entire investigation very seriously.”
AAUP has not had direct communication with Mills since fall 2023, when the organization publicly criticized NYU’s response to an uptick in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. The organization’s report noted that since last fall, Mills has “refused even to acknowledge” pro-Palestinian students’ requests to meet with her.
Rand founded MACA on Oct. 26, 2023 in response to the growing pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the country. The Facebook group has since grown to nearly 62,000 people, who use what they call “proxy parenting” to visit other members’ children’s campuses and threaten administrations in an effort to not embarrass their own child.
Most recently, the MACA has directed members to tipline for ICE, encouraging them to submit information and complaints about students and faculty involved in pro-Palestinian protests at universities. The request comes after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for deportation of students who protest Israel’s action.
“NYU is not in any way influenced by the group mentioned in the story with regard to its outlook, policies or support for international students, who are valued members of our community,” Beckman said.
Immediately following the election, NYU said it would expand its resources for international students. However, as several peer institutions face threats of deportation and ICE presence on campus, Mills has not issued a public statement regarding increased protections.
“It’s frightening to think, but she has given no indication that she would not comply, should federal agencies demand the personal data of international students,” McCarthy said.
In a fact sheet detailing his executive order to “combat antisemitism,” Trump vowed to cancel protesters’ student visas and cease demonstrations on college campuses, which he said “have been infested with radicalism like never before.” He specifically called for departments, including the U.S. Department of Education, to report any illegal activity including vandalism, intimidation and trespassing.
One member of NYU’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said they asked for their surveillance footage from the Dec. 11 protest and found that the university had identified the time they entered the library, what clothes they were wearing and what time they changed clothes. They said that other students had experienced similar fears regarding identification, a point reiterated at a petition delivery last week.
“The fact that it hasn’t made any statements against this or affirmed protections of students is very concerning,” the student said in an interview with WSN. “It’s been a very real concern, I think, among international students and among everyone.”
Contact Audrey Abrahams at [email protected].
