College leaders nationwide are establishing rules to prevent large anti-Israel protests this school year.
Some campuses saw violent and destructive scenes last year, and the controversies over the response to the demonstrations led to the resignations of a handful of Ivy League presidents.
“Asking someone if they are Jewish and then punching them because of it. It’s not human at all. I don’t have words to describe how I feel about it,” Ohio State University student Adam Kling said of an incident last year.
California State University and the University of California now ban tent encampments and masks to conceal one’s identity.
UC’s president said in a letter that anything restricting movement on campus is prohibited.
“We make every effort to nurture free expression, and we provide countless opportunities and venues for our students, faculty, other academic appointees, and staff to safely and lawfully share their diverse viewpoints and beliefs. While the vast majority of protests held on our campuses are peaceful and nonviolent, some of the activities we saw this past year were not,” the letter noted.
The University of Pennsylvania will not allow overnight demonstrations and bullhorns after 5 p.m. on class days, and posters and banners must be removed within two weeks.
Indiana University requires approval of any signs displayed on university property.
“Indiana University has a longstanding commitment to advancing free speech. In order for free speech for all to flourish, we needed to clarify our policies so people clearly understand the allowable time, manner and place for free expression. We can’t let one person or group’s expression infringe on the rights of others, disrupt learning experiences for our students or interrupt regular university business,” Trustees Chair W. Quinn Buckner said.
“We are students at these colleges, at these universities, on these campuses, who are morally, morally disgusted that our university’s billion-dollar endowments are funding the genocide of the Palestinian people,” explained Jesse Estrada White, a senior at Michigan State University and member of the school’s Hurriya Coalition.
He led protests last year and says the new measures at college campuses across the country are unconstitutional.
“What they really are is a crackdown on our First Amendment rights,” he said.
Last month, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bipartisan Enact Campus Act into law. It requires public and private universities to adopt and enforce policies regarding racial, religious and ethnic harassment. It will provide millions for student safety and outreach programs.
“This is going to apply to all groups. It says that universities must ensure that students are protected against race, ethnicity and religious-based discrimination — which covers Jewish students, Palestinian students and Muslim students,” said Zachary Marschall, the editor-in-chief of conservative college watchdog group Campus Reform.
Estrada White said student protests will continue this year.
Marschall suggests every school update and expand its anti-discrimination policies before the fall semester starts.
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