Dear NYU Law Student Body:
Earlier today, the SBA President published a statement about the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine as part of the weekly bulletin email. The remaining members of SBA are writing to clarify that we did not write, approve, or see this message before it was published. SBA did not hold discussions about whether to issue a public statement about the conflict or the content of any potential statement. The ‘Message from the President’ reflects their personal views and does not represent the views of SBA as an organization or any of its officers. Under the SBA Constitution, our directive is “[t]o provide an effective medium for the expression of student's views,” and we regret that today’s Message distracted from this mission.
This evening, the SBA Board voted to initiate the removal of the SBA President. As required in Art. 9, Sec. 1.1 of the SBA Constitution, the SBA will conduct a hearing between October 17 and 24th as part of our removal procedures. The SBA will also continue to monitor the Vote of No Confidence survey that has been circulated under Art. 9, Sec. 2.2.
As a result of today’s statements, multiple students have received significant targeted harassment and death threats. We are horrified by these vile personal attacks and threats to students’ safety. The doxxing of any NYU Law student is unacceptable and disturbing. We urge NYU Law’s administration to do more to protect students’ privacy and safety in the face of targeted harassment.
We want to be clear, first and foremost, that we mourn the tremendous loss of human life in the past several days. We encourage students who have been affected by this crisis to reach out to NYU’s Wellness Exchange or the Office of Student Affairs for support. As a governing body that represents students and student groups with a wide range of perspectives on these very important issues, and out of concern for the safety of the members of the SBA and the student body, SBA cannot comment further.
We remain committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive space for all NYU Law students and serving as representatives of the student body. To further support our role as a student organization, we are in communication with NYU Law Administration to discuss appropriate next steps.
NYU Law SBA
Posted on October 10, 2023.