What can we learn from campus protests: preparing for the fall term
Robert A. Scott
President Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus of Adelphi University; President Emeritus of Ramapo College. Author, How University Boards Work, 2018, Co-Author, Letters to Students, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024
The Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s response in Gaza prompted demonstrations at over 500 colleges and universities in the U.S., encampments on more than 130 American campuses. More than 2,000 people were arrested. (“Crowd Counting Consortium: An Empirical Overview of Recent Pro-Palestine Protests at U.S. Schools,” Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center, May 30, 2024.) Allegations of violence were greatly overstated, and often took place away from, not on, a campus. Many demonstrators were from off-campus. Most protests were peaceful.
Several university presidents at elite institutions lost their jobs due to political and donor criticisms of their leadership in the face of alleged antisemitism and conflict over how to handle pro-Peace and pro-Palestine protests. Centuries of anti-Jewish animus went from backdrop to front page quicker than colleges could manage.
Having served for 30years as president of two institutions, one public and one private, my teams and I experienced numerous incidents of student protest. These included sit-ins blocking passages, rallies in reaction to police killings of Black youth, and challenges to investment policies regarding fossil fuels, among others. After each incident on our campus, or major disruptions at other campuses, my team and I would discuss what we could learn from the protest, how we could have handled the situation better, and what changes, if any, to policies and protocols were needed.
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Thank you, Bob
Professor of Communication, Adelphi University; Editor, Explorations in Media Ecology; President, New York Society for General Semantics
3 个月This post came at the perfect time for me--I am writing the syllabus for a new special topics course I will be teaching at Adelphi this fall called "Let's Talk About It: Interpersonal Communication, Free Speech, and Campus Conversations." We're going to be exploring all of the issues you raise here in your article, and participating in the Adelphi Freedom of Expression Symposium in October.
Business Lawyer at Herd Law Office, Helping Small Businesses and Non-Profits achieve their goals
3 个月A really interesting read and great insights into dealing with a very complicated situation.