STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY AFFIRMING ACADEMIC FREEDOMS
We, the faculty of the Department of Comparative Literature, wish to assure our students, colleagues and staff that we remain committed to the ideal of fostering an inclusive environment. As educators, we stand against any form of intolerance and violations of the basic academic freedoms of our community.
Comparative Literature is a discipline that moves across the boundaries of languages, literatures, and cultures, and we support the free movement of people, words, and ideas. We oppose the stigmatization of immigration, and affirm our solidarity with our Muslim colleagues, students and community members. We fully endorse the statement issued by the Executive Committee of the American Comparative Literature Association.
As a department, we affirm our right to conduct our research and teach our students without ideological or political interference. Pursuit of the truth and dissemination of knowledge are our mandate as scholars and educators, and we reject any attempt to intimidate those whose aim is to advance human knowledge. We will honor our obligation to provide unprejudiced scholarship and education, and look for continued support of that mission.