Colleges Change Their Tune After Once Embracing Protests

Anti-Israel demonstrations continue to occur on college campuses throughout the country, persisting for almost three weeks since they initially started at Columbia University.

Over 2,600 individuals have been arrested on 50 campuses. The protesters have demanded that their institutions sever all connections with Israel due to its conflict in Gaza.

Administrators have responded in varying ways, with some universities such as UT Austin and Emory University taking swift action, while others have displayed more caution. However, several universities in the latter category are beginning to grow frustrated with the escalating confrontational behavior of certain protesters.

For example, at a George Washington University gathering, anti-Israel activists have advocated for the use of a “guillotine” against school administrators. Universities have employed various strategies, ranging from appeasement to warnings of disciplinary measures, in an attempt to address the protests and ensure smooth proceedings for upcoming graduation ceremonies.

Hundreds of demonstrators congregated on the University of Chicago campus for over a week, prompting administrators to initially take a lenient stance. However, concerns about safety escalated as the protest continued, leading to a shift in the university’s approach.

The protesters were given a warning to vacate the premises or risk being forcibly removed. By Tuesday, law enforcement disbanded the encampment following a confrontation. University President Paul Alivisatos recognized the institution’s commitment to free speech but also emphasized a firm stance on the situation, as officers in riot gear restricted access to the school’s Quad.

“The university remains a place where dissenting voices have many avenues to express themselves, but we cannot enable an environment where the expression of some dominates and disrupts the healthy functioning of the community for the rest,” Alivisatos said in a message to the university community.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill officials informed deans and department chairs on Monday that certain students have been notified by instructors who are against the suspension of student protesters that they will withhold grades. The office of the school’s provost announced its commitment to support “sanctions for any instructor who is found to have improperly withheld grades.”

Protesters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were issued a deadline to depart voluntarily or risk suspension. A significant number complied, as confirmed by an MIT representative, who noted that some protesters trespassed by breaking through fencing following the arrival of external demonstrators. As of Monday night, several individuals continued to occupy the encampment in a more tranquil setting.

The day after, MIT authorities reported that numerous interim suspensions and referrals to the discipline committee were underway, implemented to ensure the “safety of our community.” While some institutions continue to adopt a lenient approach towards protests, allowing students to conduct demonstrations and establish encampments as they deem appropriate, others have taken a more supportive stance.

At the Rhode Island School of Design, where students began occupying a building on Monday, the administration has affirmed the students’ rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, expressing solidarity with all members of the community. President Crystal Williams engaged in a dialogue with the protesters for over five hours that evening to address their demands.

Meanwhile, the president of Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut, has praised the on-campus demonstration, including a pro-Palestinian tent encampment, as a form of political expression. The camp has expanded from approximately 20 tents a week ago to over 100.

President Michael Roth announced that the university will “continue to make space” for the protesters “as long as that space is not disruptive to campus operations.” However, for certain individuals, this lenient approach remains insufficient.

According to a Wesleyan University senior mentioned in The Associated Press who said: “even though our president has said, ‘Oh, I’m not going to call the cops. Oh, I’m not going to beat up students,’ that’s still not enough, and that’s not the bare minimum for us.”

With Wesleyan University’s commencement scheduled for May 26, some demonstrators are concerned about the possibility of being evicted from the central campus area near the field where the ceremony will be held.