Pitt suspends Students for Justice in Palestine

The University of Pittsburgh has placed Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt on “an interim suspension of registration,” according to a March 18 letter sent from a Pitt official to the anti-Israel student organization.

The suspension follows a Feb. 4 disciplinary hearing held after the group hosted a “study-in” at Hillman Library that university officials said may have violated Pitt event policies.

During deliberations regarding potential disciplinary actions against the group, SJP “improperly engaged in communications to members of the Conduct Hearing Board,” according to the letter signed by Associate Director of Student Conduct Jamey Mentzer.

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Mentzer said SJP’s actions constituted a “serious violation.”

The suspension means that SJP must cease all organizational operations and is banned from using any university resources to advance its mission.

“This includes but not is not limited to, requesting event space, requesting funds, facilitating any events hosting anything that be construed as an event, including co-sponsorship,” the letter explained.

SJP was given 10 days to appeal the suspension. Any appeal will be reviewed by the vice president of student affairs office, which will issue a decision within five days of the submission of the request.

SJP has engaged in considerable anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activity since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on the Jewish state. It has often coordinated and cross-promoted events with several other anti-Zionist groups, including Pitt Apartheid Divest and Jewish Voice for Peace. Some of those groups are not registered with the university.

SJP was one of the principal supporters of last spring’s encampments at the university, which at times led to clashes with university police and several arrests. It also promoted Not On Our Dime’s petition to add a referendum to the May primary election ballot which, if passed, would have forced the city to divest from Israel.

Earlier this month, the group succeeded in having two referendum questions added to Pitt’s Student Governing Board’s elections, asking if the university should “divest all financial holdings, if any, from weapons manufacturers arming Israel,” and if the university should disclose the content of its investment portfolio. The referendums passed after a social media push by SJP.

The university issued a statement following SJP’s suspension, saying that conduct proceedings are an “unbiased, educational process” designed to uphold community standards and its code of conduct.

“The university’s approach to student conduct necessitates respecting the privacy and integrity of ongoing investigations,” according to a Pitt spokesperson.

Outside groups supporting SJP weren’t so reserved.

The antifa group Steel City Antifascist League, which has called for violence against those with whom it disagrees, called the suspension “a wildly dangerous step.” It accused the university of caving to “Zionist pressure.” Pitt, it says, has ignored the voices of Arab and Muslim students to appease “Zionism and capitalism.” An Instagram post included pictures of several Pitt administrators who either signed the suspension letter or were copied on it.

Pitt Apartheid Divest shared the post on its Instagram account.

Julie Paris, StandWithUs’ Mid-Atlantic regional director, commended Pitt’s decision to suspend SJP, saying that the organization repeatedly has contributed to a hostile environment on campus “through intimidation, harassment and violations of university policies.”

“This action is part of a broader movement of universities recognizing the harmful impact of SJP chapters, which are affiliated with a national organization that promotes bigotry, maintains ties to extremist groups and enforces explicit anti-normalization policies that foster division and hostility,” she said.

Following the suspension, SJP attended a weekly Student Government Board meeting, according to the Pitt News.

The paper reported that an unnamed SJP representative called the suspension “insane.”

The representative said SJP was suspended after circulating an open letter online. The post, “An Open Letter Condemning the University of Pittsburgh’s Suppression of Pro-Palestinian Voices,” was not mentioned in the university’s letter to the organization.

SJP urged SGB to address the suspension with the university’s administration and said the board’s support for the organization has been “insufficient” in the past.

SGB President Sarah Mayer agreed to discuss the suspension with Dean Marlin Nabors, according to the Pitt News.

Mercy Akanmu, a member of the SGB, told SJP that the board has supported the group privately.

“When we are in these meetings with upper administration, we say exactly what you’re asking us to say,” Akanmu said. “We are pushing for you guys in private, but we’re just not able to say it in public all the time,” the Pitt News reported.

The suspension comes on the heels of the university receiving a D grade on the Anti-Defamation League’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card and the creation of a university working group against antisemitism.

Calls to SGB President Sarah Mayer were not returned before press time. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.