As protests over the Israel-Hamas war have erupted at U.S. universities in recent months, student journalists have been reporting daily on campus debates over free speech, university investment, and U.S. involvement in the conflict. .
The editorial boards of some student newspapers provide assessments of conflict on campus. They spoke out about how administrators were responding to protesters and defended students' right to speak out. They have been especially vocal about harassment and threats of personal information, and say their free speech on campus is being suppressed.
As tensions rise on some campuses, here are some editorials written by student newspapers in recent weeks.
The Columbia Daily Spectator's editorial board published the editorial just hours after University President Nemat Shafik called police to campus last week to clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters. More than 100 students were arrested, causing an uproar among school officials.
In a strongly worded editorial titled “Is Columbia in Crisis?” published on April 18, students on the editorial board argued that school administrators “have no real commitment to students, faculty, and staff.” I failed to get involved.” Universities were gradually becoming “spaces of mistrust, oppression, and fear.”
By inviting the New York City Police Department to campus and allowing police to arrest more than 100 students, Dr. Shafiq, also known as Minoush, disrupted campus life and “violated her overriding principle of safety,” the board said. the association wrote.
The board also criticized the administration in Congressional testimony last week before the Republican-led House Education and Labor Committee, saying: He is anti-Semitic and repeatedly criticizes the behavior of both students and faculty in order to appease committee members. ”
The editorial board spoke directly to school officials and added: Failure to do so will further alienate, endanger, and distance our students, forever trapping Columbia in a self-inflicted crisis. ”
University of Michigan
The Michigan Daily's editorial board discussed rising tensions on campus this month as school officials attempt to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests and calls for divestment from Israel.
In March, about 100 student demonstrators disrupted a university event in Michigan to protest the school's investments in companies they say benefit from Israeli military operations in Gaza. Police in Ann Arbor, Michigan, named the three students, according to the Michigan Daily.
A few days later, University President Santa Ono, along with the Board of Trustees, released a draft disruptive activities policy that would limit activities that disrupt the “free movement of persons on campus” and university operations.
The Michigan Daily board ran an editorial titled “Santa Ono, Don't Silence Student Voices,'' which stated that “campuses are becoming pressure cookers,'' and that “the more universities police student voices, the more they The voices become louder and more passionate.” It becomes. “
Cornell University
Last week, the Cornell Daily Sun editorial board supported Cornell University's request to divest from a weapons manufacturing company directly involved in the Israel-Hamas war.
“The Sun wholeheartedly supports the proponents of both questions and joins the call for Cornell University to divest from arms manufacturers directly involved in what the International Court of Justice has called 'plausible' genocide. ” wrote the editorial board. “Cornell University should never support a war waged with callous disregard for civilian life.”
“It's time for Cornell University to take the lead and call for a ceasefire and retreat.” our “The funds were raised from investments in potential war crimes,” he added.
Harvard University
The Harvard Crimson reported Monday that the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, a student organization, has suspended Columbia University for the remainder of the spring semester after it held a rally in support of protesters at Columbia University on Friday. Reported that it was received. The university said the group violated campus protest guidelines.
On Tuesday, the Crimson's editorial board condemned the decision.
“On a campus where administrators have done little to protect pro-Palestinian speech from the beginning, this feels like oppression,” the editorial board wrote. “Whatever the trigger, this decision will be seen as a paranoid reaction to events in Colombia and elsewhere.”
“Student organizations are not above the rules. But the rules are not above the interests of this campus. Harvard must choose the latter,” he added.
University of Southern California
Administrators at the University of Southern California drew national attention on April 16 when they canceled this year's valedictorian's commencement speech. Student Asna Tabassum had come under criticism from two groups on campus for expressing her pro-Palestinian views on social media. The school said the decision was driven by security concerns related to the “intensity of emotion” over the Middle East conflict.
Three days later, the editorial board of the student newspaper, the Daily Trojan, requested that Ms. Tabassum be allowed to speak.
The board wrote: “USC is proud to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, and the decision to select a Muslim student as valedictorian should be a testament to the university’s commitment to equity. As soon as it became clear that the university held views that were offensive to some, the university's efforts were proven to be performative.
A few paragraphs later, the board wrote: “Although the university claims it is not breaking any laws or guidelines by preventing Mr. Tabassum from speaking, it is doing perhaps even worse by undermining student trust.” Faced with online criticism If this decision could cause repercussions because the university could not stand by Mr. Tabassum, who did so, and instead succumbed to the interests of those who perpetuate that hatred, even the best students It is clear that we will not support it.”
“For a university to deny a time-honored tradition to its highest-achieving students for fear of speaking out calls into question the integrity of the education we all choose to pursue here. .”
University of California Los Angeles
On Sunday, the editorial board of the Daily Bruin, the student newspaper at the University of California, Los Angeles, also condemned the cancellation of Mr. Tabassum's commencement speech.
“The decision to characterize Mr. Tabassum's valedictorian's speech as a threat to public safety is an overreach by the administration,” the editorial board wrote. “Even if safety is a legitimate concern for USC, having the necessary security forces in place at the start should not be an issue.”
“Censoring tabasum by the administration to prevent tensions from arising during admissions will only expose the university to muddy waters,” the board added. “The security concerns are nothing less than the anticipated heckling of Tabassum's position on the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war, citing Tabassum's pro-Palestinian connections on social media.”
