Around 20 NYU Law students met with dean Troy McKenzie on Monday to push for clearer policies regarding disciplinary proceedings for 28 students who staged a pro-Palestinian sit-in in Bobst Library last month. They said that the School of Law’s current label of the students as “interim persona-non-grata” bypasses regular procedures, inhibiting students from contesting their case.
The meeting came seven weeks after the initial sit-in, a period during which the students designated persona non grata said they received minimal communication from administrators about the next steps in their disciplinary proceedings. Students said that because the law school does not typically issue persona non grata statuses, affected students have been given individual exemptions — allowing them to attend classes and clinics, but prohibiting them from other areas of campus such as libraries, gyms or religious spaces on the basis of “safety concerns.”
“It’s really just punishment without process,” Megan, a third-year law student who requested to omit her last name due to safety concerns, said. “They’ve carved out a lot of exceptions — it seems like safety was just a cover issue to bypass protective processes.”
In interviews with WSN, students said that because of the lack of formal policy, they have been unable to contest their cases. NYU’s student conduct guidelines exempt law students from its section on interim suspensions — and the law school’s guidelines recommend that hearings to formally determine the student’s sanction are conducted within 48 hours.
Standard procedures would require an informal meeting for students to explain their case before individual investigations begin. Students said that no such meetings were arranged.
“It’s ironic that a law school doesn’t have clearly defined procedures to be followed,” Marc, a first-year law student who requested that his last name be omitted, said. “But given the current administration, it’s also quite scary.”
Students who attended the meeting said McKenzie did not clearly answer any questions about the disciplinary proceedings for students labeled persona non grata or address prospects of NYU divesting from companies with ties to Israel. Megan noted, however, that administrators agreed to a second meeting to discuss issues further.
“It is an encouraging step that we’ve been able to meet with the dean about this in the first place,” Marc said. “Most divestment protesters have not been able to meet with any major admin at all.”
In the meeting, students also requested clarification around university policy on peaceful sit-ins and confirmation that the university would expunge their disciplinary records if it ever posed a legitimate safety risk. They said McKenzie did not address either issue.
Megan said sanctioned students were recently informed that Latham & Watkins LLP — a major law firm that has partnered with NYU for years and recently announced plans to provide President Donald Trump with $125 million in pro-bono work — will be consulted in their disciplinary proceedings. The exact role that the law firm will play in the process was not clear, and she said that McKenzie would not speak on the firm’s involvement.
In March, NYU named 28 members of Law Students for Justice in Palestine persona non grata and sanctioned two legal observers after an eight-hour sit-in outside President Linda Mills’ office on the top floor of Bobst. The demonstrators had demanded a meeting to discuss the university’s student conduct policy, stance on immigration and investments in Israeli-backed companies.
“The dean’s responses generally seemed to evade any responsibility or any authority that himself or the law school holds,” a student, who attended the meeting and requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said. “When the university refuses to engage in meaningful dialogue or actually provide clear procedures and processes, it feels like they are relying on students’ own fears and the chilling impact of the national pushback on student protest to quell student activity.”
Correction, April 29: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that 28 law students were suspended. The article has been updated and WSN regrets the error.
Contact Dharma Niles at [email protected].
