Flagstaff, AZ – After their September 4 “ICE out!” protest, members of the Flagstaff chapter of Students for a Democratic Society received identical Code of Conduct charges from Northern Arizona University. The charges meant the students were facing potential suspension or expulsion.
After holding a march, a sit-in, multiple call-ins, posting statements on social media, and sending a cease and desist notice from a lawyer, suspension or expulsion was avoided for all three students, and SDS Flagstaff declared victory over the university on September 28.
Fight Back! News is circulating the following statement and call-to-action from National Students for a Democratic Society:
SDS members – Sarah Rogala, Jay Francabandera, community member Claire Wagoner, and one other student – are at threat of suspension, arrest, and job loss at Northern Arizona University due to protests that mobilized hundreds to say no to any ICE presence in Flagstaff, Arizona, as well as to say no to the opening of a new ICE office across NAU.
On Wednesday and Friday, Rogala and Francabandera face conduct hearings. We in SDS call on our supporters to call NAU on Wednesday Sept 23, and to tell them these hearings must end at once.
Student activists at Northern Arizona University, members of the Flagstaff Students for a Democratic Society chapter, are facing harassment and threats of suspension for holding anti-ICE rallies this past spring. One leader, Sarah Rogala, is facing a second round of conduct hearings heading towards suspension. Another leader, Claire Wagoner, has been trespassed by campus police and is threatened with arrest if she appears on campus.
We wholeheartedly condemn this violation of their First Amendment rights to free speech and the right to assembly.
Flagstaff, AZ – On Friday, September 4, the Flagstaff chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held their first protest of the school semester at Northern Arizona University (NAU). The organization has been fighting to demand a sanctuary campus, and has held multiple marches, call-in campaigns and sit-ins during meetings with university administration.
SDS Flagstaff President Claire Wagoner and Vice-president Sarah Rogala have been charged with several policy violations by the university’s administration for their protests and actions advocating for a sanctuary campus, including protesting the opening of an ICE administrative office in Flagstaff.
