Student Senator Writes Open Letter to Acting President Claire Shipman

University Senator for SIPA Gabriella Ramirez wrote an open letter to Acting President Claire Shipman. On April 4, Senator Ramirez issued a version of this letter at the University Senate's plenary. The Morningside Post has reproduced the contents of the letter below.

Dear Acting President Claire Shipman,

I write to you as the Student Senator representing the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), reflecting on the University’s longstanding commitment to shared governance. I am delighted to see an alumna of SIPA take on this crucial role. As you know, a SIPA education is a special experience, and all eyes are on you to be a successful leader for students who are now under your care and who look to you for guidance as Acting President. You too now represent our school, this time on the national stage. With graduation only a few weeks away, few of us know what lies ahead. For many students, most notably our friend and classmate, Mahmoud Khalil, we cannot celebrate the end of our SIPA journey knowing one of our own cannot join us in that accomplishment.

On behalf of many members of the SIPA student body, I want to express our deep frustration and disappointment with the Columbia Administration’s lack of response to the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil. It has been one month since he was taken from the lobby of his Columbia-owned apartment and stripped of his due process rights. The lack of acknowledgment has been disheartening. Many of us carry the memory of Mahmoud going to class with us, eating with us, and laughing with us; however, to this day, the University neglects to acknowledge the injustice inflicted upon him. Furthermore, many of us are heartbroken to see some of the hurtful rhetoric used to describe him with no pushback from our leadership. How can we expect our students to truly feel that Columbia is their home when the university itself refuses to acknowledge Mahmoud Khalil’s name and stand up for its students and alumni?

We cannot stand by and ignore the effects of Mahmoud’s detention on the larger Columbia community and the SIPA community more specifically. Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has made its way onto our campus, our students have felt significant discomfort, fear, and confusion. It is painful to see students who moved across the country and across the world to obtain their education here only to not feel welcome or safe at an institution they call home. Even more painful is hearing their cries for help, their pleas being pushed aside, and then being simply told to “follow the protocols.” Students are afraid to leave their apartments, haunted by the possibility that they will be stopped one day by individuals in plain clothes and be taken away from their homes. Other members of our Columbia community, including Yunseo Chung, Ranjani Srinivasan, Leqaa Korda, and Rumeysa Ozturk, reflect this sentiment.

While we all understand that there are institutional procedures in place that are designed to help us, we must not ignore the fact that several students have expressed great concerns preventing them from reaching out to public safety, citing instances of discrimination, harassment, racial profiling, and others. Not everyone has the privilege of being able to feel safe with these resources, and our students deserve more during this time. You must support and do more to protect your students.

We chose SIPA because we believed that our voices and actions would contribute to making the world a better place. We have been taught by our professors, mentors, and peers about the importance of standing up for the causes we believe in. We have been encouraged to engage in meaningful discussions. Yet, these actions have not been reciprocated. Your students need you to speak up. Your students need you to show up and stand up for them. Your students need your leadership.

As the presiding officer of the University Senate, I hope to see you at the Senate’s monthly plenary sessions. The federal administration’s alarming restrictions on free speech nationwide have drawn serious concern from civil rights organizations, legal experts, and scholars. As a world-class institution, Columbia has a responsibility to protect this fundamental right for its students and to take a strong stand in defense of the First Amendment. As a university that prides itself on being a global leader and forging the leaders of tomorrow, doing so will reaffirm the very values it claims to uphold.

As a SIPA alumna yourself, I know you understand these crucial principles of free expression, shared governance, and diplomacy. Mahmoud’s constitutional right to exercise freedom of speech and advocate for a cause for which he is passionate is representative of the very SIPA education you also obtained and contributed to. I urge you to condemn Mahmoud’s unjust detainment and work with the University Senate and SIPA leadership to support a dear and fellow member of our SIPA community. I look forward to meeting with you and working with you in the weeks to come. 

Sincerely,

Gabriella Ramirez, University Student Senator for the School of International and Public Affairs

To learn more about the Columbia University Senate, please click here.