JOHN JAY COLLEGE–On Feb. 11, John Jay College kicked off the spring semester with an energized Town Hall that addressed concerns over the removal of professor Evan Mandery from teaching in the Honors Program while also providing additional community updates.
The monthly forum was hosted by John Jay President Karol V. Mason, Faculty Senate President Karen Kaplowitz, and Student Council President Yarik Munoz. It drew a lively in-person crowd of about 40 students, faculty, and staff, with an additional 200 attendees who joined via Zoom.
One of the most contentious moments of the meeting was when Amir Rasulov, a junior in the Honors Program and a political science major, publicly challenged the administration over Mandery’s removal from the program.
Mandery, an accomplished faculty member, had taught and mentored Honors students at the college for nearly 25 years.
Rasulov pressed the administration for clarity about Mandery’s removal, demanding answers on who made the decision, why it was made, and what steps could be taken to reverse it.
