Photo Credit: Chris Rycroft / Flickr
Ingalls Mall and Burton Memorial Tower on the University of Michigan campus, Ann Arbor, MI, November 4, 2021.

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) announced in an Instagram post last Thursday morning that they had been suspended for up to two years and would no longer be recognized by the University of Michigan.

SAFE is a pro-Hamas solidarity organization and serves as the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at UM.

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The school’s decision to suspend SAFE followed a ruling by Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones on January 16, three months after UM filed a formal complaint, on October 31, through the Office of Student Organization Advancement and Recognition, accusing SAFE of violating the Center for Campus Involvement’s Standards of Conduct for Recognized Student Organizations.

The university deployed police to target and arrest pro-Hamas protesters, and Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged at least 10 protesters with felony offenses, on the recommendation of the university administration and the Board of Regents.

The complaint was filed by Stephanie Jackson, an outside consultant hired by the University. Jackson said SAFE violated three standards of conduct on multiple occasions: health and safety, appropriate use of space, and adherence to other University policies.

The complaint cited incidents such as a protest outside Regent Sarah Hubbard’s (R) home on May 15; a die-in demonstration at Festifall on August 28; and a tabling event on October 16 during Open Mic Night.

On December 13, the UM Central Student Judiciary (CSJ) concluded that SAFE was responsible for two of the four violations at Festifall, one of the two violations during Open Mic Night, and none of the seven violations during the protest in front of Hubbard’s home.

While the CSJ recommended a one-month ban on using outdoor University spaces, a $75 fine, and other slaps on the wrist, Dean Laura Blake Jones imposed an additional two-year disciplinary suspension on SAFE. The suspension could be lifted if SAFE leadership holds three educational meetings with Jones, CCI Director Nick Smith, Associate Dean of Students Sarah Daniels, and CCI staff members. However, the suspension will not be reviewed before the 2025 Winter semester.

“I took note of one of the witness’s expressed hope that the University would not institute the full two-to-four year suspension of recognition of SAFE that was requested by the complainant,” Jones wrote. “I recognize that SAFE’s history on campus and impact as a legacy organization supporting Palestinian students on the University of Michigan’s campus has been instrumental, and hope that the organization’s leaders will work in good faith to complete the education and restorative measures outlined in this decision so the organization can return to recognition.”


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David writes news at JewishPress.com.