by Ron Iannone
The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas led to the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis. In retaliatory attacks, Israel has killed around 34,000 Palestinians. And as a result, we now have student protests happening on campuses across the U.S. — at Columbia, Harvard, UCLA, and many more. The last total reported was that there were protests happening at 60 U.S. colleges and universities.
For me, it evokes memories of student protests during the Vietnam War. Today, we have students forming encampments on campuses and occupying buildings. One of the central demands of protestors is for universities to divest from Israel and the companies they say are profiting from the war in Gaza. We also hear some pro-Palestinian student groups making antisemitic demands that all Jewish students should be expelled. And so the demands go on, from the ridiculous to the absurd.
On the other hand, we must not forget that the majority of students just want to go to class, study at the library, write their papers and get ready for their final exams. In many cases, the disruptions on campuses are hindering these regular student activities from happening. Further, the campus, civil and, in some cases, state police are being asked to protect the safety of all students. Some governors are even talking about bringing in the National Guard to campuses, and we don’t want that. Remember what happened at Kent State and the students who were killed.
Throughout all of the student protests, I believe we are forgetting what the major goal of higher education is: academic freedom. Faculty and students should have the opportunity to freely discuss and debate the issues facing both sides of the war in Gaza. In fact, the encampments perhaps can be used as learning centers where faculty and students safely and calmly examine the history of the war, which goes back several decades. Frederick Lawrence, the former president of Brandeis University, has recently said “we” is what we should remember about universities. Both faculty and students have a right to freely express their views and beliefs.
The Chautauqua Institute, located in upstate New York, has been doing this for over 150 years. It is dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through meaningful dialogue, as it explores the important social and political issues facing us.
E. F. Schumacher explains that the major purpose of higher education is to help students clarify their views concerning the meanings and purposes of life. “Education,” he says, “which fails to clarify our central convictions is mere training or indulgence … will then be an agent of our destruction ….”
In so many words, Allen W. Groves, of Syracuse University, pointed out that we should be committed to having a climate on U.S. campuses where “free expression” can happen while respecting the rights of others. He goes on to say that when speech or conduct threatens these rights, then we must find ways to safely guard these rights along with our higher education communities having the right to “peacefully assemble.”
Instead of confrontations between factions on campuses, I believe we should agree to learn from each other’s views while understanding that the grace and dignity of each other is important.
