As students across the United States are expected to return to campuses, administrators are bracing for a resurgence of activism against the war on Gaza, and some schools are adopting rules to limit protests similar to those that swept campuses this spring.
The summer break also brought a lull in student protests against the Israel-Hamas war, but the break gave protesting students and higher education officials a chance to prepare and strategize for the fall semester.
At Columbia University, President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday after intense scrutiny over her handling of campus demonstrations in New York City that sparked a wave of protests and pro-Palestinian tentpoles last spring. after.
Some of the new rules imposed by the universities include banning tents, limiting the duration of protests, allowing them only in certain spaces and the right to access the campus only to those with university identification. Critics say some of the measures will limit free speech.
The American Association of University Professors released a statement Wednesday condemning “overly restrictive policies” that could discourage free speech. Many of the new policies require protesters to register in advance and strictly limit where rallies can be held, as well as placing new restrictions on the use of loudspeakers.
“Our colleges and universities should encourage, not suppress, open dialogue and debate.” the statement said, adding that many policies were imposed without consulting the faculty.
The University of Pennsylvania has set “interim guidelines” for student protests that include banning tents, nighttime demonstrations and the use of loudspeakers after 5pm on school days. The University of Pennsylvania also stipulates that posters and banners must be removed within two weeks. The university says it remains committed to free speech and lawful assembly.
At Indiana University, under a “new policy” that went into effect Aug. 1, protests after 11 p.m. are prohibited. This new practice prohibits pitching tents on campus. It is also prohibited to place banners or symbols in the university premises without prior approval.
The University of South Florida also requires prior approval to erect tents, place banners or use loudspeakers.
The school's rules on “freedom of expression, assembly” state that no “activity”, including protests or demonstrations, is allowed after 5pm on weekdays or weekends and is not allowed in any case in the last two weeks of a semester .
A preliminary document obtained over the summer by the student newspaper at Harvard University indicated that the university was considering banning tents at night as well as signs and banners without prior approval.
“We're now seeing a resurgence of repression on campuses that we haven't seen since the late 1960s,” said Risa Lieberwitz, a professor at Cornell University and also general counsel for the American Association of University Professors.
The universities say they encourage free speech as long as it does not impinge on the academic process and insist they are simply updating existing rules on demonstrations to protect campus safety.
Tensions have risen on university campuses since the October 7 Hamas terror attack in southern Israel, which Israeli authorities say left 1,200 dead, most of them civilians, and 250 hostages.
Many student protesters in the United States are vowing to continue their activism, which has been fueled by the rising death toll in Gaza, which rose to more than 40,000 on Thursday, according to health authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
About 50 Columbia University students face disciplinary decisions related to last spring's demonstrations, while a mediation process that began earlier in the summer has stalled, said Mahmoud Khalil, the lead negotiator representing the protesting students. He blames the impasse on top officials at Columbia University in New York.
“The university will convey the message that it is dialoguing with the students. But these are false steps with which they want to look good in front of their donors and political class”, says Mahmoud Khalil, graduate student at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. The university did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The prestigious university, located in Manhattan, was rocked earlier this year by student demonstrations, culminating in scenes of police raiding a university building where pro-Palestinian protesters had holed up.
Similar protests spread across US university campuses, many of which saw violent clashes with police and more than 3,000 arrests.
The charges have been dismissed for many of the arrested students. But some are still waiting to learn what prosecutors will decide. Many students have faced consequences in their academic careers, including suspensions, degree retention, and other forms of discipline.
Shafik was one of the university leaders who was called to testify in Congress. She was heavily criticized by Republicans, who accused her of not doing enough to combat concerns about anti-Semitism on the Columbia University campus. She announced her resignation in an email to the university community just weeks before school started on September 3.
On Monday, the university began restricting campus access to only individuals with institution-issued cards and registered visitors, saying it wanted to avoid “potential disruptions” as the new school term approaches.
“This period has caused a significant burden on my family, as well as others in the community,” Mrs. Shafik wrote in her letter. “Over the summer I have been able to reflect and have decided that my departure would best enable Columbia University to overcome the challenges ahead.”
Initially, pro-Palestinian protesters pitched tents on university grounds while Ms. Shafik testified to Congress in mid-April, when she denounced anti-Semitism. But she faced criticism for the way she reacted to university staff and students accused of bias.
The university asked the police to dismantle the tents the next day. But the protesting students returned, inspiring a wave of similar protests across US universities, as students demanded schools cut financial ties to Israel and companies supporting the war.
The student town was largely quiet this summer, but a conservative news network released images in June of what it said were text messages exchanged by university leaders while attending a May 31 meeting on “Jewish Life on Campus , past, present and future”.
The individuals in question were removed from their posts, while Mrs. Shafik said in a letter to the school community that the messages were unprofessional and “disturbingly refer to ancient Atismite metaphors.”
During the last few months, several senior leaders of prestigious universities have resigned, mainly because of their reaction to the protests in the universities.
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned in December after less than two years on the job. She faced pressure from donors and criticism for her testimony to Congress, where she was unable to answer repeated questions about whether campus calls for the genocide of the Jews violated the school's bylaws.
In January, Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned amid accusations of plagiarism and similar criticism of her testimony before Congress.
