Photos of the Week: Spring Protests Begin at UMass by Josna Rege and Laura Quilter
UMass students and faculty protested outside of the Whitmore Administration Bulding on Marc 13 in support of Mahmoud Khalil and free speech. Photo: Josna Rege
Protestors Condemn Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, Call for UMass to Protect Students’ Freedom of Speech
About 200 students, faculty, and community members gathered in front of the Whitmore administration building at UMass on March 13 to stand in solidarity with Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil (see also here), who was arrested and detained on March 8 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration declares that it intends to deport him even though he has not been charged with a crime, is a green card holder, and is married to a U.S. citizen. Furthermore, President Trump has warned that Khalil’s deportation will be followed by many more.
This demonstration came in the wake of the letters sent on March 10 by the Trump administration to 60 college and universities, including six in Massachusetts, threatening to strip them of federal funding–as they had done to Columbia University on March 7–if pending investigations found them to have permitted “antisemitic” protests—a misuse of the term to refer to any criticism of the Israeli government’s war on Palestine.
Speakers from Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and the Palestine Solidarity Caucus of the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) not only condemned Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest but also Columbia University’s refusal to support him or to block the ICE actions. Pointing out that Columbia’s capitulation to government repression had only brought on more repression, they called for UMass to demand the release of Khalil and a halt to Columbia’s crackdown on pro-Palestine students, to end any collaboration with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and to protect the constitutional and human rights of its students. Speakers also recalled the arrests of 134 peaceful protestors by hundreds of militarized police at UMass in May, 2024 (see also here). After the speeches and spirited chants, the group marched into Whitmore to deliver their demands to Chancellor Javier Reyes. – Josna Rege
UMass Professional Staff Stand out in Support of a Fair Wage
UMass’s Professional Staff Union (PSU) and University Staff Association (USA) organized a stand-out Wednesday March 12, outside the Hampshire Dining Common. USA & PSU scheduled the stand-out to call attention to UMass “stonewalling our bargaining teams”, and particularly to the poor working conditions experienced by UMass Dining staff. Dining staff described unacceptable working conditions including pressure to come to work while sick, and a long-standing low wages problem, necessitating the award-winning staff to work multiple jobs or face food insecurity. UMass is justifiably proud of its award-winning dining program, and Chancellor Javier Reyes was hosting the Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review, which publishes the annual “best dining” rankings. Numerous speakers called out the striking contrast between the high regard for the dining program’s rankings, and the poor working conditions and wages of the staff who are most responsible for those high rankings.
The stand-out was well-attended, with perhaps 50 union members (mostly USA and PSU but some MSP and other unions in support), supportive student passers-by, lots of lively chanting, and free “lobster bibs” for attendees. – Laura Quilter
Our feature, Photo of the Week, presents each week, a new picture by a local photographer. We invite local photographers to share their photographs here. Please include a description/caption and an indication of who is to be credited.