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SJSU professor suspended for pro-Palestinian work – NBC Bay Area

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A San José State University professor has been suspended for her involvement with pro-Palestinian groups on campus.

Sang Hea Kil, a law professor and faculty adviser for Students for Justice in Palestine, was temporarily suspended Friday, according to multiple reports. According to a letter obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, which originally reported the story, Kil’s suspension was because she violated Article 17 of a collective bargaining agreement between the California State University System and the faculty union.

The university also claimed that Kil was “unprofessional and exploitative” and directed students to violate university policies. In addition, the university said she “exhibited bullying and abusive behavior and made comments directed at both individuals and groups of colleagues.”

“In accordance with Article 17, you are suspended for reasons related to disruption of programs and/or operations, safety of persons or property, or an investigation for formal disciplinary action,” the letter states.

Kil is also chair of the Anti-Racism, Social Justice Transformation Committee and former co-chair of the Palestine, Arab, and Muslim Caucus of the California Faculty Association.

An Instagram post apparently belonging to Kil read: “SJSU has suspended me from my job because of my work in Palestine. The fight for academic freedom continues!!!” The post also included the university’s letter explaining the suspension.

As of Friday, Kil has been barred from campus and unable to perform her duties as a professor. Her suspension will either expire in 60 days or she will be notified if disciplinary action is taken, whichever comes first, the letter said.

San José State University spokeswoman Michelle McDonald said the university “does not comment on personnel matters.”

Kil is the latest professor to be taken action against by the university for his alleged actions during pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests on campus.

According to the Los Angeles Times, history professor Jonathan Roth was placed on leave in February after getting into a physical altercation with a female student.

Roth grabbed and twisted a student’s arm after the student tried to stop him from recording protesters with his phone, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a verified video.

Members of the student organization Students for Justice in Palestine protested the presence of Long Beach State University Jewish studies professor Jeffrey Blutinger on campus as he spoke to a class about the war. Students stood outside Sweeney Hall protesting Blutinger’s “problematic” views on the war in Gaza, Kil told the LA Times in February.

Kil said she reported Roth – who is credited with reviving the Jewish studies program at SJSU – to the university and state’s California Faculty Association in November for disparaging students.

“I have not heard anything from CFA nationwide or CFA-SJSU about Roth’s attack on a Palestinian protester,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Your silence is complicity with genocide and genocide deniers!”

After the incident in February, Kil called on the university to fire Roth, according to the LA Times.

Kil did not respond to NBC Bay Area’s request for comment Monday.

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