It has been over one year since President Linda Mills authorized the sweeps of two Gaza Solidarity Encampments on campus. In the aftermath, students, faculty, parents and alumni have taken stands against her leadership, accusing Mills of inflicting extreme and unnecessary violence against the university community and breaking any bit of trust that had developed during the first few months of her tenure. This past year, characterized by a mounting federal attack on higher education, was an opportunity to clear the air — a chance to assert her commitment to the safety and best interests of NYU’s student and faculty body. As student journalists, we’ve committed ourselves to getting answers from the university on its actions and have been met with roadblocks at nearly every turn. We are left with senior leadership defined by silence, restraint and ineffective communication. 

At the start of the academic year, Mills called for “community,” urging students to “come together” with “empathy and grace.” She followed through on her promise to host listening sessions for more than 350 students, faculty and staff as part of the “NYU in Dialogue” series, which seems to be the only public-facing initiative Mills has been championing. While the thought was there, the university still suspended over a dozen students for their participation in a pro-Palestinian sit-in later that semester, even going as far as to authorize the New York City Police Department to — once again — arrest two faculty members at a protest outside Bobst Library. Not only has NYU remained deafeningly silent, but also systematically silenced those very members from having meaningful discourse.

Two weeks ago, amid an unprecedented immigration crackdown, an undisclosed number of international students faced terminations to their legal status — which have since been reactivated. Mills’ email announcing that “some” members of the NYU community were affected by President Donald Trump’s policies was infamously inexplicit, where other universities like Columbia University and Harvard University were quite public in their disclosure of how many students, and in some cases faculty, were affected. The lack of specificity is surely a deliberate choice, but that does not excuse that style of communication from criticism. Only those who attended in-person sessions with NYU leadership know any bit of information regarding who on campus has been affected and why. And the sole reason we were able to inform the university community that the immigration statuses were restored is because an NYU administrator called WSN to inform us of the change — this was not, and has still not been, publicly communicated. 

The caution is mildly understandable. However, this vague approach to communications, particularly from the president of a university, is too obscure to be particularly helpful or effective. The heads-up that WSN received from the university administrator is appreciated, but it’s rare. Any inquiry our writers and editors send to the administration are immediately forwarded to repeatedly cited spokespeople. It doesn’t matter how many times NYU asserts its commitment to all members of the community — it requires action, not just hollow language. 

While thoughtful communication hasn’t been high on the priority list as of late, discipline has been handled with speed and gusto. NYU has managed to evade any kind of targeted retribution from the Trump administration so far, and one could speculate a slew of reasons as to why this may be the case. It’s probably thanks to the university’s staunch punishment of pro-Palestinian speech, as its impulse seems to be quelling political dissent as hastily as possible to shut down unwanted discourse on campus and thereby avoid further federal scrutiny. 

More recently, NYU Law students are actively being strong-armed into signing away their right to protest in exchange for the ability to take their finals. The university has shifted its priority from adequately handling disciplinary matters with discretion to quickly closing conduct cases. As such, the university has hired one of the law firms that promised pro bono legal service to Trump in order to investigate the protesting law school students, signalling further complicity with the federal government’s agenda. This is despite the fact that the law students’ sit-in protest tactics have been allowed, encouraged and even successful at NYU multiple times in the past 10 years for Black Lives Matter and anti-fossil fuel demonstrations.

Mills hasn’t openly considered divestment from weapons manufacturers with ties to Israel, ceasing NYU Langone Health medical support for the Israeli military or any of the other demands of pro-Palestinian students and faculty. She also hasn’t taken a stand against Trump’s onslaught against student visa holders, instead joining NYU’s spokespeople in meekly signaling compliance with the law. Yet on the other hand, Mills hasn’t publicly committed to removing immigrant students either, nor has she publicly justified Israel’s war against Gaza and its pleas for peace and independence. Mills has instead opted to thread the needle and try to maintain a status quo that ignores the present threats to NYU’s mission. 

Right now, Mills stands at an inflection point, where she has the opportunity to be more than just another administrator. The problem is her inaction: It isn’t making anybody happy, and speaking out one way or another will draw negative attention. But speaking out would also draw a groundswell of support from many members of the NYU community. Silence toward oppression becomes complicity — and we’re well beyond that. 

This is not another call for Mills to resign. It’s a plea for change. Rather than continue to stand at odds with her own students, faculty and alumni, we encourage Mills to stand with them and all the other universities who’ve had enough of their values being dictated by an anti-academic and xenophobic federal agenda. 

WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. Opinions expressed in the house editorial reflect the views of WSN’s Editorial Board.

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