On Saturday, March 15th, citing "security concerns," the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prevented NYU Professor Andrew Ross from boarding a flight from New York to Abu Dhabi. Ross, the President of the University's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, was on a research trip to the region, where he has been studying labor practices for several years. Professor Ross has spoken openly of the role of Emirati and foreign employers in perpetuating the systemic abuses of workers in the Emirates and other Gulf states.
Academic freedom is the cornerstone of educational governance in a democracy, not only at home but at the University's outposts overseas, a principle outlined in a joint policy statement issued by the AAUP and its Canadian counterpart in 2008. In the aftermath of this flagrant breach of academic freedom we, the NYU-AAUP Chapter's officers, demand action from the University on this matter. It is University policy, on record in the Faculty Handbook, to support academic freedom. Now is the time for the University to put its principles into practice.
Sincerely,
Molly Nolan, Vice-president NYU-AAUP
Marie Monaco, Secretary, NYU-AAUP
Anna McCarthy, Treasurer, NYU-AAUP
Rebecca Karl, Member-at-large, NYU-AAUP
Stephen Duncombe, Member-at-large, NYU-AAUP