Statement of Support for Jacob Miller

September 28, 2009

Dear University of Arizona Community,

We, the undersigned faculty and graduate students at the University of Arizona, write to express our disbelief and shock at reports of the arrest of Jacob Miller, first year Master’s student in the School of Geography and Development, after the Arizona for Education rally on September 24. We feel the circumstances surrounding Mr. Jacob’s arrest violate the core values of academic freedom and the principle of free speech at a University setting, and irreparably damages the image and prestige of the University of Arizona as a top research institution in the nation.

On Thursday September 24 between the 12:30 and 1pm, mere minutes after the peaceful conclusion to the Arizona for Education rally, Mr. Miller was approached by UAPD officers and arrested in connection with the chalking of the pavement surrounding the Administration Building earlier that morning. Mr. Miller has subsequently been charged with “criminal damage” and “disturbing an educational institution” for his involvement with the rally. Police also warned that further arrests from this incident may follow. Mr. Miller is due in court on October 14 to face these charges.

The chalking of pavement––for publicity, for art, for speech––is a common practice at almost all University settings. Here at the University of Arizona, one walks over instances of chalking on a frequent basis. As is well-known, chalking effects absolutely no damage to existing structures, and washes away easily, making it an ideal form for all types of social expression. This is particularly the case here, in a world-class university setting, where all such symbolic expression should not only be tolerated but welcomed and appreciated.

Chalking, in and of itself, does not constitute “criminal damage,” and further, its prohibition has never been enforced, and even less so with the criminal charges and fines Mr. Miller now faces. We feel that this is an arbitrary application of the law whose objective is to inhibit speech and silence public opposition to the current UA transformation plan. We the undersigned hold that regardless of one’s position on this issue, assaults on free speech by the UAPD, such as the one witnessed here on Sept. 24, will not be tolerated. We, instead, are bound by a democratic and intellectual responsibility to not only foster speech, but to the aggressive and tireless safeguarding of those spaces from which we all can speak. This responsibility includes safeguarding everyone’s constitutional freedoms from the institution itself.

Unfortunately for all of us, word of this incident has already made itself known nationally. The on-campus arrest of a university student on charges related to free speech is itself a story that cannot and should not be silenced. But we will not lie nor mislead our colleagues at peer institutions about the facts of this case. They must be made known. The damage to this institution’s image has already been done, the full extent of which, however, might not be known for years. But we do know that the damage to the UA by the unwarranted arrest of Mr. Miller can be either exacerbated or minimized only by subsequent actions from University administration.

We, the undersigned, therefore insist to both President Shelton and the UAPD that all charges against Jacob Miller be immediately dropped, and further, that Mr. Miller be provided written assurance by the President that continuation of his graduate studies and employment will not suffer any negative consequences resulting from the events of September 24, 2009.

(If you wish to sign-on to this statement, please leave comment with your name and dept.)

Faculty and Grad Student Signatures:

Abraham Acosta, Spanish and Portuguese
Beth Alvarado, English
Patrick Baliani, English
Laura Briggs, Gender and Women's Studies
Jason Brown, English
Kari Boyd McBride, Women’s Studies
Maritza Cardenas, English
Andrew Carnie, Linguistics
Malcolm Compitello, Spanish and Portuguese
Adam Donaldson, History
Suzanne Dovi, Government and Public Policy
Javier Duran, Spanish and Portuguese
Elizabeth Evans, English
Larry Evers, English
Caryl Flinn, Gender and Women’s Studies
Mika Galilee-Belfer, Grad Student, Higher Education
Carlos Gallego, English
Adam Geary, Women’s Studies
Beth Grindell, Arizona State Museum
Laura Gutierrez, Spanish and Portuguese
Roger Hartley, School of Government and Public Policy
Jake Harwood, Communication
Dee Hill Zuganelli, Sociology
Asli Igsiz, Near Eastern Studies
Fenton Johnson, Creative Writing
Miranda Joseph, Women’s Studies
Elizabeth Kennedy, Gender and Women's Studies
Frederick Kiefer, English
Jenny Lee, Education
Adela C. Licona, English
Ken S. McAllister, English
Kari McBride, Women's Studies
Judith McDaniel, Women’s Studies and Political Science
Yaseen Noorani, Near Eastern Studies
David Robinson, English
Andrea Romero, Mexican-American Studies
Sally Stevens, SIROW
Laura Tabili, History
Erec Toso, English
Alexandra Tracy-Ramirez, Grad Student, Law/Women's Studies
John Ulreich, English
Adam Ussishkin, Linguistics
Amy Williamsen, Spanish and Portuguese