As of Monday, more than 600 USC alumni have signed a letter demanding that the university administration take action against anti-Islam and anti-Arab sentiment on campus and condemn the “ongoing genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.
“USC is responsible for the safety, well-being, and equal treatment of ALL its students,” the letter read. “Making Arab and Muslim students feel lesser than and not as important as other students is a violation of that code.”
The open letter stated that more than 11,000 Palestinians have been “martyred” and millions more have been displaced due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The letter, which was shared with the administration and publicly circulated via the Instagram account @uscalums4justice on November 16, tied these tragedies to what it called the university’s “shameful history of ignoring Palestinian voices on campus.”
The authors of the letter addressed the recent controversy surrounding USC economics Professor John Strauss, who was recorded making inflammatory comments at a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest on campus on November 9. In a widely circulated video, Strauss was recorded saying “every one should be killed” while passing by the memorial honoring the Palestinian lives lost in the war. In an interview with Annenberg Media, Strauss claimed he was solely referring to Hamas.
Eziamaka Ogbuli, a 2023 graduate of the Keck School of Medicine, said that the incident with Strauss influenced her decision to sign the letter.
“I was drawn to sign the letter, like many of my peers, because we wanted to hold our university to the standards it touts but fall short of,” Ogbuli said in a written statement to Annenberg Media. “Palestinian and Arab students’ voices matter, and for the university to hold investments tied to Israeli occupation and genocide all the while protecting a professor who called for Palestinian death, it was a real no-brainer to sign the letter.”
Noha Ayoub, a 2019 USC alum involved in USC Alums for Justice, shared her motivations behind signing the letter.
“Me being involved has less to do with this particular moment of Professor Strauss’s comments and more to do with the fact that historically, USC is dangerous to its own students by flat out refusing to actually address the fact that they have a campus whose climate is incredibly toxic and violent to its most vulnerable students,” she shared.
Ayoub emphasized the conditions for Arab, Muslim and pro-Palestinian students on campus.
“Currently, our Arab and Palestinian students and Muslim students and anyone who is perceived as being such or is vocally pro-Palestine is not safe. This campus climate has gotten incredibly dangerous and verbally and physically violent,” she added. “Students have a right to be safe on campus and currently they are not.”
The letter outlines eight total demands for the university, including the removal of Strauss, a tenured professor; a condemnation of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate; a stance against the “U.S.-funded genocide being committed by Israel”; a written apology to Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community members; and more specialized resources for Muslim/Arab students affected by harassment and discrimination.
Andrew T. Guzman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, responded in an email to USC Alums for Justice, stating, “Students are encouraged to report incidents through our Title IX office. The university has also recently published a free speech resource to help members of the Trojan community understand our obligations to each other.”
Ayoub said that the university’s response to the demand for more comprehensive resources has been “falling short.”
“All of those resources are specific to free speech and have nothing to do with the physical safety of students,” Ayoub said. “And there are no resources available for students who may require further tuition assistance if their families in the Gaza or the West Bank are being impacted right now by the genocide and by the war.”
USC Public Relations did not immediately respond to Annenberg Media’s request for comment.