During graduation ceremonies held across the United States each May, college campuses typically prepare graduating seniors to take on the world, proud parents soak in the milestones in their children's lives, and colleges prepare to take on the world. We celebrate outstanding leaders who offer wise advice to young people in their speeches. To leave their name behind.
Consider Hollywood producer Shonda Rhimes. He warned Dartmouth students, “Just because you dream doesn't mean your dreams will come true.” Author George Sanders encouraged his students at Syracuse University to “err on the side of kindness.” Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once implored students at Stanford University to realize that their time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Sadly, such wisdom and celebration may be muted or silenced this year. Already, the University of Southern California has canceled its main stage graduation ceremony and canceled the Muslim valedictorian's speech, citing safety concerns. There is no doubt that other universities' graduation ceremonies will also be interrupted due to the riots that hit the campus. And this college class of 2024 is the same group whose high school graduations were interrupted or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Our university leaders believe that the best parts of America have been taken over by the actions of a vocal minority of student protesters and outside agitators, many of whom wear masks to hide their true identities. Do not allow yourself to be affected.
President Joe Biden said yesterday at the White House that “dissent is essential to our democracy, but dissent must never lead to anarchy.”
“You have the right to protest, but you don't have the right to cause chaos,” Biden said. “People have a right to an education, a right to a degree, a right to walk safely on campus without fear of being attacked.”
Pro-Palestinian student protests
Instead, we see examples of out-of-control hatred in the form of clear and outspoken anti-Semitism, with threatening confrontations and calls for escalating violence, on college campuses such as Columbia University and New York University. too often, and sometimes instigated by outsiders.
When extremist protesters like the self-proclaimed Columbia University student “leaders” declare that “Zionists have no right to live” or prevent Jewish students from moving freely on campus; It is no longer a civil protest movement. Some Jewish students have been harassed as if they were responsible for Israeli government policies. Protesters used radical rhetoric calling for freedom “from the river to the sea” and “No two-state solution, we want 1948” (referring to the pre-Israel era) When students shout, whether they know it or not, they are accepting a dangerous situation. Anti-Semitism and anti-Israel metaphor. It's no wonder that Jewish students today feel intimidated and unsafe on campus.
The damage extremist protesters are doing to campus life is evident in a recent survey of 5,000 students nationwide by the University of Chicago's Safety and Threats Project, which found that Jewish students and Muslims on campus It was found that the majority of students feared for their physical safety.
Promoting humanitarian aid and assistance to the Palestinians is another. And while it is understandable to empathize with the suffering innocent Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, as some students do, at the same time Israel endured the most barbaric attack in its history on October 7th, and the We also recognize that we have the right to protect.
However, other protesters implicitly or overtly support Hamas, the terrorist organization responsible for these crimes. Hamas is dedicated to destroying Israel according to its charter and has no concern for the well-being of the Palestinian people.
Through ignorance or indifference, many of these students have remained silent in the face of other tragedies elsewhere, many of which affect Muslims. Where has the anger gone over the starvation, displacement and genocide of millions of people in Sudan? Where was the campus encampment when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad massacred 500,000 Syrians and Palestinians? Where are campus protests taking place for more than 1 million oppressed Uyghur Muslims in China? Or Russia's horrific invasion of Ukraine and child kidnapping and sexual violence? Why aren't there more protests demanding Hamas release the Israeli hostages held for nearly seven months?
Too many university leaders have allowed students and faculty to spew hatred against Jews with no consequences or censure. With less than two weeks until graduation, Columbia University has ordered the New York Police Department to remove protesters who have holed up in university buildings, clear tent encampments on the main campus, and keep the grounds open until after graduation weekend. He asked them to stay inside. Let's see if that's enough to restore civility.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams' administration released statistics this week showing that outside agitators are becoming involved in campus protests, posing a risk of further extremism and violence. Almost half of those arrested in Tuesday night's raids at Columbia University and the City University of New York were not students or faculty.
The future of our country is tied to what happens on college campuses. Let's hope that university administrators show leadership and stop protesters from taking over campuses, disrupting education, and disrupting graduation. The best of America deserves to be recognized as a beacon to the world on graduation weekend across the country.
Eric J. Gertler is Chairman and CEO of U.S. News & World Report. This commentary reflects the opinion of the author and not of U.S. News.
