USC professor cancels final, tells students to join Gaza Camp protest instead: ‘F*ck it. Free Palestine’

Sarah Rebecca Kessler, an assistant professor at USC in the English department, told her students about her decision in an email. She criticized the university for mobilizing the Los Angeles Police Department to quell the disorderly mob, which culminated in the arrest of 93 people on Wednesday, and sent a link explaining how students can get involved in unruly anti-Israel direct actions on campus.

"You've no doubt heard by now—even if you weren't there–that on Wednesday our university administration decided to bring riot police onto campus instead of tolerating the anti-war, anti-genocide protest of students, many of whom have gone into considerable debt to even attend USC. 93 people were arrested, the vast majority of them USC students and faculty," wrote Kessler.

"This isn't the kind of university I want to be part of and I can't imagine you like it much either. I went into this line of work because I actually care about education but I'm finding USC's business as usual inhospitable to critical thinking and action at the moment," she continued.

"How are we supposed to engage in 'normal' finals-week behavior while our university administration is criminalizing its students merely for opposing war and mass death and protesting its draconian policies? How are you supposed to take exams with LAPD helicopters loudly circling overhead?" questioned Kessler.

"I'm canceling the Final Project. You don't have to do it. Everyone will get a good grade. I told you from the start I don't care about grades anyway," she declared.

"Please read as much as you can about what is happening on college campuses and in the world right now. If you wish, visit Founders Park on campus, where students are collaborating with faculty to educate each other in an organic way that doesn't involve exams, grades, and GPAs. Please remember that education is actually about listening, learning, and working together--not about numbers, or about what someone in a position of power (whose immense salary is paid in part by your precious tuition dollars) tells you you can and can't do or say. Here's a link to more information from the students organizing the current actions: https://linktr.ee/uscdivestfromdeath Solidarity, and hope to see you out there," Kessler concluded.

Furthermore, Kessler issued a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that included a Venmo link where students could donate to "USC's student-led divestment campaign" against Israel.

Kessler's X account is under the username @moveablejaw. She made her account private following backlash from her anti-Israel posts.

As a result of the events that unfolded at the site of the Gaza camp on Wednesday, USC canceled upcoming graduation ceremonies citing unspecified safety concerns. Agitators threw projectiles at police officers, vandalized property, refused dispersal orders, and obstructed justice.

On Saturday, the university issued a set of safety and security protocols and closed the campus to unregistered guests for the rest of the semester. USC also banned social events and disruptive activities, a policy that will be in place until the end of the school year.

Later Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department issued a city-wide tactical alert due to disturbances that occurred at USC, KTLA reports. Dozens of LAPD cruisers were captured on video en route to the college.

Professor Kessler also participated in demonstrations at the unsanctioned Gaza camp on Saturday night, according to her X account.