To the Members of Vancouver for Peace,
We, the students of Washington State University in Vancouver, write to you with a heavy heart as one of our most beloved professors and lifelong voice for peace and global equality, Dr. Pavithra Narayanan, has been marginalized by WSU upper-administration and denied tenure despite a nearly unanimous recommendation for this deserved promotion. We ask Vancouver for Peace for its assistance in challenging this abuse of power and preserving an integral
collegiate ally who works daily to teach students like ourselves on the fruitlessness of war and that education is our best defense against the mindset of violence. We hope that after reading about Dr. Narayanan’s work and the facts of her case, the members of Vancouver for Peace will join students and faculty around the world in resisting this injustice, occurring right here in our own backyard.
A little about Pavithra:
Born in India, Dr. Narayanan has been a vocal critic of her own country’s political and economic policies which have fed war while starving the poor. Her first celebrated documentary focused on the effects of the Bhopal gas explosion and the classism inherent in that disaster, and the preview of her second film, ‘Facing North-East: Remembering Manipur, Manorama Unforgotten’ (found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGgd7v0zikA or on the student website,
www.TenureForP.com), exposes the unchecked and abuse
of power by the Indian Military in the state of Manipur by way of the ‘Armed Forces Special Powers Act,’ which made possible the gang rape, murder of Manoramam Devi by several soldiers.
While teaching in the U.S., Dr. Narayanan has continued her struggle against injustice in this country, stressing the importance of local action and exposing the classism at the heart of racism, sexism, and violence in society. Her efforts on causes such as the Anti-Dowry Campaign in the United States underscore her commitment to real-world problems which shockingly exist very close to home.
As students of Dr. Narayanan, we can tell you that she is a passionate advocate for civil liberties and equality, emphasizing global citizenship as a method of promoting peace through education. Whether in her classes on film, gender studies, or Postcolonial studies, she instills in her students the need to become social activists and work hard for our
beliefs. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that we are working hard for her.
Tenure case information:
The unexpected denial of tenure to Dr. Narayanan came as a surprise and shock to students and faculty university-wide. Dr. Narayanan's candidacy received overwhelming support from her colleagues, all committees, and external reviewers involved. The final tenure votes were as follows: Department: 22-1, external examiners: 4-0; tenure and promotion committee: 7-0; vice chancellor: approved. Dean of Faculty: rejected the candidacy. In addition, Dr. Narayanan has received only positive annual and pretenure reviews every single year.
Accompanying an extensive publishing record, Dr. Narayanan’s work at WSUV has been celebrated by her department and external faculty, the Tenure and Promotion Committee referring to her service-load on the tenure track, “bone-crushing” in their unanimous vote for her
tenure.
Students have collected over 450 petition signatures of support on our website and on campus, in addition to numerous letters to WSU President Elson Floyd and other upper administration, the latest containing 120 signatures of university professors across Southern California calling for a reversal of decision. Unfortunately, President Floyd and his administration have not attempted to right this autocratic wrong, offering no reason for Dr. Naryanan’s denial of tenure.
We hope that Vancouver for Peace will join our voices in calling for the immediate reversal of this unjust decision. Please utilize our petition and administration contact information on our website – make your voices heard!
Thank you so much for your time,
The Students of WSUV
www.TenureForP.comstud...@tenureforp.com
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