A governance divide is emerging on college campuses, and the anti-Israel protests are putting it on stark display.
On Monday Northwestern University said it reached an “agreement” with the leaders of its anti-Israel encampment, which has sprawled across the campus lawn and onto Sheridan Road. In exchange for removing the tents, Northwestern will fund two visiting Palestinian faculty members for at least two years, scholarships for five Palestinian undergraduates and a safe space for Middle Eastern and North African Muslim students.
That’s not negotiation; it’s successful blackmail. Students for Justice in Palestine will encourage more of the same from protesters on other campuses if university leaders won’t enforce their own rules.
The University of Florida took a different approach. In a statement Monday evening, the school said protesters who engaged in prohibited activities would face a trespassing order and an “interim” suspension from the university. “This is not complicated,” a spokesman said. “The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children—they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.”
That’s appropriate, and it’s also a life lesson. Florida’s message shows respect for a liberal education environment and students who attend college to learn something. Appeasement does the opposite.
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Author: Ruth King
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