New Campus Protest Rules Spark Protests from College Faculty

Dissent is thriving this fall at American colleges, and not just among student activists. With student protests limited by new restrictions, faculty took up the cause.

For faculty, the new protest rules threaten freedom of expression – and freedom of thought, both fundamental to university life. This semester, some of the most visible demonstrations involved teachers defending the right to protest.

Last spring, pro-Palestinian tent encampments filled schools and disrupted graduation plans, sparking accusations of anti-Semitism and prompting new red lines.

At Indiana University, an “expressive activities policy” released in August bans protests after 11 p.m., prohibits camping on campus and requires pre-approval for signage. In defiance, every Sunday a group of faculty, students and community members gather on campus for candlelight vigils that extend beyond the 11pm deadline.

Russ Skiba, a professor emeritus who attended the vigils, said the new restrictions are part of a larger movement to limit academic freedom on campuses.

In Indiana, the Republican governor signed a law in March that increases state oversight of public universities. The law, sponsored by a lawmaker who said colleges suffer from “monolithic thinking,” subjects faculty to post-tenure reviews of whether they are promoting diversity of thought and keeping their political views outside the classroom. Skiba and other Indiana professors largely opposed the bill, which they criticized as vague and subject to interpretation.

“Universities are bastions of free speech, but when there is an anti-democratic movement, one of the places that is most attacked is free speech,” Skiba said.

Faculty members at colleges in other parts of the country have rejected the new rules with protests, vigils and demands for explanations.

A group of Harvard University professors held a “study” at the campus library on October 16 in support of pro-Palestinian students who were temporarily banned from the library for holding a similar demonstration. In September, a group representing faculty at the University of California filed a complaint alleging that the system sought to restrict their academic freedom and avoid teaching about the Israel-Hamas war “in a way that does not align with the University’s own position ”.

For some teachers, restrictions on protests are also a labor issue.

Colleges have been granting tenure to fewer professors and facing pressure in some quarters to eliminate it altogether. Legislatures in several states have taken an interest in how topics about race, gender and history are taught. Protest directives handed down by administrators are another way to diminish faculty influence in university affairs, some professors say.

“We have to, as teachers, organize and demand the kind of shared governance that gives us the right to review and challenge these policies,” said Todd Wolfson, professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University and president of the American Association of University Professors. . “They are not made by people coming out of the academic arm of our institutions.”

Tensions on campuses across the country have been high since the start of the war more than a year ago, when Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters.

Colleges have been under enormous pressure, including from Republicans in Congress, to protect students from discrimination while upholding free speech. Last spring’s demonstrations blocked pedestrian traffic on parts of some campuses and included examples of anti-Semitic imagery and rhetoric. Some Jewish faculty members and students felt that the protests made them feel unsafe.

In a message announcing new guidelines at the start of the semester, Northwestern University President Michael Schill said it is necessary to ensure everyone on campus feels safe and supported.

“Activities that lead to intimidation and impede an environment where dialogue and education can flourish cannot occur again,” he said.

Northwestern professor Shirin Vossoughi was among 52 faculty members who signed an open letter opposing the school’s new protest policy, which bowed to political pressure to silence certain types of activism. She said the rules stifle not just free speech, but in particular pro-Palestinian voices.

During protests last spring, some faculty members joined the protesters. Others have acted as mediators for students they consider to be under their care and protection. Faculty voted without confidence against leaders of schools including Columbia University, the University of Massachusetts, Brandeis University and Cal Poly Humboldt over their handling of the protests.