This page outlines the cases of Des Freedman and Gholam Khiabany who have been put under disciplinary proceedings for telling students the truth about the impact of industrial action.
Background:
Des and Gholam had been receiving many emails from students who were worried about their progression due to an ongoing dispute over compulsory redundancies between Goldsmiths and Goldsmiths University College Union (GUCU). This had resulted in GUCU engaging in legal industrial action in the form of a marking and assessment boycott with the consequence that a significant number of students in the Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies (MCCS) did not have their Spring term assessments marked at this time. Final year students were particularly anxious as they had received no detailed communications from the College on this matter and were worried about their forthcoming graduation ceremony.
The exam board that ratified the student results that were available took place on Friday 1 July. On Monday 4 July, Des and Gholam emailed those students who were not going to be able to graduate (because of insufficient credits), either because of the marking boycott or because they had deferred assessments, to update them on the situation. This was done in order solely to lessen students’ anxiety. This letter was worded with great care and compassion and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been challenged for its accuracy. They were removed from all duties the following day and were unable to access any Goldsmiths IT systems.
Unsurprisingly, staff and students in the Department (and across the university) expressed utter shock and anger at this aggressive and disproportionate over-reaction to two managers showing care about students’ well-being. On the 15th August, 6 weeks after they were initially suspended, they were allowed to return to teaching and research but remain suspended from Head of Department/Deputy Head of Department roles.
Des and Gholam have been holding the Department together throughout a particularly chaotic restructure at Goldsmiths. They have done everything possible to support staff and students and to ensure, as far as possible, the smooth functioning of the Department at a particularly challenging time. To treat such dedication, hard work, good sense and personal sacrifice in this manner is appalling.
What you can do:
- PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION: https://openletter.earth/reinstate-des-freedman-and-gholam-khiabany-bb8e52b9
- Write a letter to the Warden of Goldsmiths, Professor Frances Corner (F.Corner@gold.ac.uk) and to the interim Director of HR, Susan Edwards (s.edwards@gold.ac.uk). Please copy into that letter the Chair of Council Dinah Caine (D.Caine@gold.ac.uk) and send a copy to Des and Gholam at their Goldsmiths email addresses (D.freedman@gold.ac.uk; g.khiabany@gold.ac.uk). Do let us know if you are happy for your letter to be made public on this website by emailing our GUCU co-ordinator, Hannah Dee (H.Dee@gold.ac.uk).
- Share this page on social media #reinstateDesAndGholam #stopunionbusting
Your solidarity and support are incredibly important.
THANK YOU
Letters that have been sent so far:
The response of the international academic community to this injustice has been phenomenal. Here are just some of the people who have written to Frances Corner requesting for the full reinstatement of Des and Gholam’s roles. Click on the links to read the letters.
Alisa Lebow, Professor of Screen Media, University of Sussex;
Alison Hearn, Associate professor, Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario;
Anamik Saha, Professor of Race and Media, University of Leeds;
Angela Phillips, Emeritus professor in Media, Culture and Communications, Goldsmiths University of London;
Annabelle Sreberny, Emeritus Professor, Centre for Global Media and Communication, SOAS University of London;
Barbie Zelizer, Raymond Williams Professor of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication;
Bart Cammaerts (plus 20 co-signatories from the department), Professor and head of department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics;
Ben Highmore, Professor of Cultural Studies, School of Media, Arts and Humanities, University of Sussex;
Brian M Goss, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Saint Louis University, Madrid;
Caroline Ruddell, Reader in Film and TVDivisional Lead for Production and Performance, Brunel University;
Catherine Rottenberg, Professor of Feminist Theory and Culture, Department of American and Canadian Studies, University of Nottingham;
Claudia Padovani, Professor SPGI Department, University of Padova, Italy;
David Hesmondhaigh, Professor of Media, Music and Culture, University of Leeds;
Deepa Kumar, Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ;
Elizabeth Poole, Professor of Media and Communications, Keele University;
Geoff King, Professor of Film Studies, Brunel University London;
Gillian Doyle, Professor of Media Economics, University of Glasgow;
Hannah Yelin, Reader in Media and Culture, Oxford Brookes University;
Helen Wood, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of Lancaster;
Jack Bratich, Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, Rutgers, NJ;
Jo Littler, Professor of Sociology, City, University of London;
Joanna Zylinska, Professor of Media Philosophy + Critical Digital Practice, King’s College London;
John Downey, Professor of Comparative Media Analysis, Loughborough University;
John D.H. Downing, Professor Emeritus of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University, USA;
Josef Trappel, Professor and head of the department of Communication Studies, University of Salzburg, Austria;
Justin Lewis, Professor of Creative Industries, Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Culture;
Kaarina Nikunen, Professor of Media and Communications Research, Tampere University, Finland;
Karen Boyle, Professor of Feminist Media Studies, University of Strathclyde;
Karen Ross, Professor of Gender and Media, Newcastle University;
Kate Lacey, Professor of Media History and Theory, University of Sussex;
Laleh Khalili, Professor of International Politics, Queen Mary University of London;
Lee Edwards, Professor, Strategic Communication and Public Engagement, London School of Economics and Political Science;
Lisa Henderson, Professor and Dean of Information and Media Studies, Western University, Canada;
Maren Hartmann, Professor of Communication and Media Sociology, University of the Arts Berlin;
Melanie Williams, Professor of Film and Television Studies, University of East Anglia;
Nicholas Mirzoeff, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, NYU;
Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory, London School of Economics and Political Science;
Paula Chakravartty, Associate Professor, Media Culture and Communication, NYU;
Rebecca Givan and Todd Wolfson, President and General Vice President respectively, Rutgers AAUP-AFT;
Rinella Cere, Reader in Media and Cultural Studies, Sheffield Hallam University;
Robert Hackett Professor Emeritus, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, Canada;
Robin Mansell, Professor of Media and Communications, LSE;
Rosalind Gill, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis, City University of London;
Sarah Banet-Weiser, Distinguished Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania;
Sharam Alghasi, Professor of Media Sociology, Kristiania University College, Norway;
Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science;
Tony Dowmunt, Emeritus Professor, Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London;
Victor Pickard, C. Edwin Baker Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy, University of Pennsylvania;
Leung Wing-Fai, Senior Lecturer in Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King’s College London.