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A tale of two campuses
Author: TriSec
Date: 04/27/2024 12:52:40
Good Morning.
You may want to take a look at a Boston news website this morning, as this is going on as we speak.
According to multiple police agencies, the ongoing protest had been relatively peaceful until last night, when the campus was "infiltrated" by "professional protesters" chanting violent anti-Semitic slogans. Northeastern decided that that was enough, and moved in to break it all up.
The protestors responded in-kind, linking arms to block roads, and their numbers swelling. As of this writing, it's an uneasy stand off...but has the potential to go either way.
The story notes that this protest is one of many among local campuses, "Similar demonstrations have been going on at Emerson, Harvard MIT and Tufts, as well as other universities across the country."
But why is that? Let's consider how much American foreign policy is debated and created in Boston. That would be none. But surely there must be national politicians that live in this city? Also no. Senator Ed Markey lives and works in Maryland. He owns a home in Malden, MA...but's than only an address of convenience. Senator Elizabeth Warren lives in Cambridge, which they will loudly tell you is not Boston.
Stephen Lynch represents Boston in Congress, and actually has the good graces to live in South Boston.
But none of the protests are taking place anywhere near any of them.
It's hard to guess what motivates the students, other than as a thought exercise. Disrupting the city and blocking roads, no matter how noble the cause, has the opposite effect here, in my opinion. Boston's traffic is notoriously bad, and as a professional driver, anything impeding my way is just that - an obstruction to me doing my work and making money. No matter how noble your cause may be, preventing my livelihood is not the way to do it. There are many in this city that share the same opinion.
But there is a corollary. I live in the City of Waltham. You might be aware of Brandeis University in this city. It is one of the largest and best-know primarily Jewish colleges in the country, if not the world. You would think this campus would be "Ground Zero" for this kind of protest, but curiously it isn't. Perhaps because the campus is a bit of a melting pot. It's a government and foreign-policy school, and their specialty is the Middle East. There's an enormous number of foreign born students on the campus, from all walks of life. Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Baha'i, and many more make up the vast tapestry of this school. The potential is there for a literal civil war on the campus, but it has not happened.
Brandeis' response to the crisis has been quite different from any other campus in this city.
Through it all, there has not been a single reported incident of protest or violence out here in Waltham.
Brandeis has further defended their stance by quoting their own student guidelines.
Like all things in life - there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Take a look around your neighborhood and see which way things are going these days.
You may want to take a look at a Boston news website this morning, as this is going on as we speak.
According to multiple police agencies, the ongoing protest had been relatively peaceful until last night, when the campus was "infiltrated" by "professional protesters" chanting violent anti-Semitic slogans. Northeastern decided that that was enough, and moved in to break it all up.
The protestors responded in-kind, linking arms to block roads, and their numbers swelling. As of this writing, it's an uneasy stand off...but has the potential to go either way.
The story notes that this protest is one of many among local campuses, "Similar demonstrations have been going on at Emerson, Harvard MIT and Tufts, as well as other universities across the country."
But why is that? Let's consider how much American foreign policy is debated and created in Boston. That would be none. But surely there must be national politicians that live in this city? Also no. Senator Ed Markey lives and works in Maryland. He owns a home in Malden, MA...but's than only an address of convenience. Senator Elizabeth Warren lives in Cambridge, which they will loudly tell you is not Boston.
Stephen Lynch represents Boston in Congress, and actually has the good graces to live in South Boston.
But none of the protests are taking place anywhere near any of them.
It's hard to guess what motivates the students, other than as a thought exercise. Disrupting the city and blocking roads, no matter how noble the cause, has the opposite effect here, in my opinion. Boston's traffic is notoriously bad, and as a professional driver, anything impeding my way is just that - an obstruction to me doing my work and making money. No matter how noble your cause may be, preventing my livelihood is not the way to do it. There are many in this city that share the same opinion.
But there is a corollary. I live in the City of Waltham. You might be aware of Brandeis University in this city. It is one of the largest and best-know primarily Jewish colleges in the country, if not the world. You would think this campus would be "Ground Zero" for this kind of protest, but curiously it isn't. Perhaps because the campus is a bit of a melting pot. It's a government and foreign-policy school, and their specialty is the Middle East. There's an enormous number of foreign born students on the campus, from all walks of life. Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Baha'i, and many more make up the vast tapestry of this school. The potential is there for a literal civil war on the campus, but it has not happened.
Brandeis' response to the crisis has been quite different from any other campus in this city.
Brandeis University, the historically Jewish school outside Boston, has extended its transfer application deadline in a bid to appeal to students who are unhappy with their own schools’ responses to campus anti-Israel protests.
The university announced the decision on Monday as encampment protests spread from Columbia University to campuses across the United States.
The protests, which take aim at the schools’ ties to Israel, are spurred by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and have, in some places, included rhetoric that veers into antisemitism. Jewish groups and some Jewish students say the protests have left Jewish and pro-Israel students unsafe and unable to take part in campus activities.
“As a university founded in 1948 by the American Jewish community to counter antisemitism and quotas on Jewish enrollment in higher education, Brandeis has been committed to protecting the safety of all its students, and, in the current atmosphere, we are proud of the supports we have in place to allow Jewish students to thrive,” Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz wrote in an email to the community. “Due to the current climate on many campuses around the world, we are now expanding the opportunity for students to seek the learning environment of our campus by extending the transfer application deadline to May 31.”
Through it all, there has not been a single reported incident of protest or violence out here in Waltham.
Brandeis has further defended their stance by quoting their own student guidelines.
Protests and Demonstrations — Time, Place, and Manner: The University community is one of inquiry and persuasion. The University has a responsibility not only to promote a lively and fearless freedom of debate and deliberation, but also to protect that freedom when others attempt to restrict it. A member of the University community may protest, rally, or demonstrate, provided such protests or demonstrations do not disrupt University operations or obstruct physical movement to, from, or within any place on the campus, including University property located off the main campus. Though the campus must be open to the free exchange of ideas, the University may limit the time, place, and manner of demonstrations. The DOSO encourages students to provide it with advance notice of any planned demonstrations. In encouraging groups and individuals to provide prior notice, the University’s goal is not to restrict free speech or peaceable assembly. Rather, it is so that the DOSO may help students navigate the guidelines for demonstration and give the University the opportunity to provide space that accommodates the reasonable needs of both the University community and those engaged in acts of speech or protest.
All members of the community are expected to conduct dialogues with dignity and courtesy. Students must allow other community members freedom of movement on campus, along with the freedom to engage in the performance of their duties and the pursuit of their educational activities (see Section 12.). Public Safety may review and address any safety concerns occurring during a protest or demonstration. Please review Appendix H. Principles of Free Speech and Freedom of Expression.
Like all things in life - there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Take a look around your neighborhood and see which way things are going these days.
