The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, designated Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a ‘hostile campus’ due to its targeting of Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, staff, and faculty who stand against occupation, apartheid, and genocide in Gaza. In April 2024, NAU responded to peaceful student-led advocacy for Palestinian human rights with mass arrests, organizational suspension, due process violations, and repressive policy changes. These actions stand in direct contradiction to the university’s stated commitments to free speech, diversity, and academic freedom and are outlined in the sections below:
Contradictions in Free Speech Commitments
NAU’s public-facing statements promote a robust vision of free expression. According to the university’s Statement on Freedom of Expression: “Northern Arizona University honors its commitment to the freedoms of speech and assembly guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. NAU is a public institution, and public universities are considered to be the quintessential “marketplace of ideas” – where both the campus community and the general public engage in free speech activities. . . NAU encourages both the listener and the speaker to exercise this important freedom with respect, civility and responsibility.” However, this commitment collapsed when applied to pro-Palestinian advocacy. When Palestinian students and their allies spoke out against genocide and U.S. complicity in Israeli violence, they were reportedly met with arrest, intimidation, and institutional silencing.
Use of Police Force and Administrative Escalation
On April 29th, the day before the NAU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organized an encampment for Gaza, President Jose Luis Cruz Rivera abruptly announced policy changes apparently intended to undermine the encampment including a new restriction limiting “expressive activity” to the hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The protest site was reportedly surrounded by signs labeled “Expressive Activity & Public Safety,” reinforcing that this was a premeditated, institutionally sanctioned response.
On April 30, 2024, President Rivera reportedly authorized the NAU Police Department to forcibly dismantle the student encampment protesting the genocide on Palestinians in Gaza. Students reported that officers dressed in tactical gear descended in waves, arresting 21 students and physically removing them from campus grounds. Witnesses reportedly observed students being carried or dragged away while administrators—including Associate Vice President for Communications Kimberly Ott, Vice President for Inclusion Excellence Justin Mallett, and Chief of Staff Brian Registar—were present at the scene. In a statement delivered via loudspeaker, Dean of Students Megan Gavin reportedly warned protesters that they would face criminal charges and institutional sanctions. This coordinated escalation was not a defense of campus safety—it was a precise and targeted suppression of political conscience for Palestinian human rights.
Organizational Suspension and Repressive Policy Changes
Following the arrests, NAU reportedly suspended the SJP chapter for four years, effectively silencing the primary organized voice for Palestinian rights on campus. On May 3rd, the President wrote a letter to the senate and enacted a ban on all overnight structures and further restricted “expressive activity” to the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., neutralizing one of the most visible forms of peaceful protest. These policy changes were implemented in direct response to the encampment and represent a sweeping, content-specific restriction that violates the spirit of the First Amendment and disproportionately targets pro-Palestinian activism.
Due Process Violations
In the aftermath of the arrests and organizational suspension, the university initiated conduct hearings against student protesters. According to legal counsel representing the students, these proceedings were rife with procedural violations. Students were reportedly denied access to critical evidence, including police reports and video footage. They were asked to defend themselves against vague accusations tied to undisclosed “rules” without being given a clear recitation of facts or charges. In an April 2024 letter written to President Cruz Rivera, the legal counsel representing the students wrote:
“The lack of even basic due process turned these hearings into performative and pre-determined exercises where students were questioned on but not allowed to see police reports or remaining portions of videos. They were forced to prepare their defenses against undisclosed ‘rules’ and without even the most basic recitation of facts upon which to charge the alleged code violations.”
The NAU President and the attorney declined to meet with the students’ attorneys to address concerns regarding significant due process violations in the student disciplinary hearings, which demonstrates a lack of good faith. This failure of procedural fairness highlights how institutional mechanisms at NAU were misused to punish political expression instead of adjudicating student conduct fairly and transparently.
Hypocrisy in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitments
NAU also fails its own publicly stated DEI mission. The President’s Office Statement on Values claims an “imperative to create an inclusive community that promotes civil discourse, academic freedom, and critical inquiry, enriched by the backgrounds and lived experiences of its members.” Yet this imperative was entirely abandoned when Palestinian students and allies exercised their rights to protest genocide and call for Palestinian liberation. Rather than valuing their lived experiences and critical perspectives, the administration criminalized them. This selective application of DEI principles reveals them to be mere institutional branding—invoked when convenient and discarded when politically inconvenient.
NAU’s actions align with a disturbing national trend identified by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). In an April 2024 public letter, AAUP President Irene Mulvey condemned the use of police force to dismantle peaceful campus protests, stating:
“The deployment of police and the arrest of students and faculty members for engaging in peaceful protests strike at the heart of academic freedom, shared governance, and the mission of higher education in a democratic society.”
NAU’s reliance on force and intimidation mirrors this trend and underscores the extent to which the university has abandoned its academic mission in favor of politically motivated repression.
Conclusion
Northern Arizona University has created an environment of intimidation, surveillance, and silencing for students advocating Palestinian rights. Through mass arrests, organizational suppression, policy manipulation, and due process violations, and the use of police force—condemned by national academic organizations— NAU has actively and institutionally opposed student expression on one of the most urgent human rights issues of our time. Its stated commitments to free expression, diversity, and academic freedom have been exposed as performative and selectively enforced. As such, CAIR formally designates NAU a hostile campus for speaking out against the occupation, apartheid, and genocide in Gaza.
