The faculty union at the City University of New York objected to Gov. Hochul’s order to interrupt the hiring process for a Palestinian Studies professor, as protesters planned to confront the governor Thursday.
The course at CUNY’s Hunter College on the Upper East Side became a flashpoint this week after The New York Post ran a story condemning the job listing, prompting the governor to intervene.
In a forceful letter to Hochul and CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, the Professional Staff Congress raised concerns about the governor’s involvement — and its implications for academic freedom.
It was not immediately clear if the job would be reposted.
“We oppose antisemitism and all forms of hate, but this move is counterproductive,” wrote James Davis, president of the PSC, in the memo released Wednesday evening. “It is an overreach of authority to rule an entire area of academic study out of bounds.”
Davis pointed to turmoil even within his own union over the war in Gaza — but suggested the solution would involve more education, not less. This year, the PSC both passed, then promptly rescinded, a resolution to divest from Israel.
The union head likened Hochul shying away from divisive concepts to “something devised in Florida,” where the governor there has tried to restrict teaching about race and gender,
“What’s needed are inclusive ways of teaching, not canceling concepts and areas of study,” the letter continued.
The governor’s office did not comment on the planned protest, but said CUNY took down the job listing from their website.
“There is no class that is being cancelled or pulled,” said Kara Fesolovich, a spokeswoman for Hochul.
Meanwhile, a separate group of protesters — unaffiliated with the union — planned to confront Hochul on Thursday afternoon at CUNY’s City College, where she was scheduled to make a workforce-related announcement.
On social media, protesters put out an “urgent call to action,” calling the governor a “fascist” whose intervention will “silence critical scholarship.”
“Hochul and every politician enabling the suppression of Palestinian voices should know they will be confronted wherever they go,” read posts on X and Instagram, by a network of student groups called CUNY4Palestine.
The Harlem campus is closed to the public Thursday, the protest group said. Spokespeople for CUNY and its individual campuses did not immediately return a request for comment.
Matos Rodríguez, the CUNY chancellor, and Chair of the CUNY Board of Trustees William Thompson have backed Hochul’s decision to pull the Hunter College job description.
“We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate,” read a statement on Tuesday, “and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting, which we have ensured Hunter College has since done.”
“CUNY will continue working with the Governor and other stakeholders to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms.”