Multiple faculty members at Harvard University were temporarily barred from the main library after participating in a silent protest. The protest, known as a “study-in,” was held in response to the temporary suspension of student demonstrators who had engaged in a similar demonstration at the library. Last month, around 30 pro-Palestinian student supporters conducted a silent study-in at the Widener Library, where they quietly read with signs bearing statements such as “Israel Bombs Harvard Pays.” As a result, more than a dozen students were suspended from accessing the library for two weeks.
Following this, faculty members also participated in a study-in protest, leading to their suspension from the library. One of the protest participants, Erik Baker, a lecturer in the History of Science Department, shared on social media that he and others had been banned from the library for two weeks for peacefully reading while displaying quotations from the Library’s statement of values. Another professor, who chose to remain anonymous, confirmed that around 25 faculty members had been suspended for their involvement in the protest. The suspension notice cited a violation of university policy for assembling with the purpose of capturing attention through the display of signs.
The suspension notice stated that demonstrations and protests are not permitted in libraries, leading to the temporary ban from Widener Library for the faculty members involved. Despite the suspension, affected faculty members will still have access to other library locations for pickups, and their online access to library resources will not be affected. Harvard declined to confirm the suspensions when contacted by Inside Higher Ed.
Martha Whitehead, the head of the Harvard library system, released a statement on the role of libraries as places of learning, addressing the nature of study-ins as a form of protest. While some view study-ins as non-disruptive expressions of free speech, others consider them inherently disruptive in a library setting.
As news of the faculty suspensions spread, reactions were mixed, with some supporting the protest participants and others arguing that the suspensions were a consequence of breaking university rules. The Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard expressed concern about the prohibition of the study-in and subsequent suspensions, emphasizing the importance of allowing free expression on campus.
In an email to Inside Higher Ed, Melanie Matchett Wood, co-president of the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard, expressed disappointment in the suspensions and highlighted the need for students and faculty to have the right to peacefully read and work in the library, even alongside those with differing viewpoints.