Colleges Tackle Campus Protests with New Policies and Civil Discourse Training

Following intense, sometimes violent protests on campuses, colleges are taking steps to encourage civil dialogue.
College Uncovered, Season 3, Episode 2

After intense and sometimes violent protests, colleges and universities are striving to foster civil dialogue among students with differing views.

Institutions are introducing guidelines and courses on respectful communication to bridge divides. Concurrently, they are imposing stricter rules on campus protests, especially those related to the Gaza conflict, and increasing enforcement of these policies.

Experts discuss these new measures aimed at improving student interactions. 

Scroll to the end of this transcript for more details.

Listen to the whole series

TRANSCRIPT

(Sound of campus protest)

Kirk: After a year of intense protests on college campuses, this fall’s orientation sounds different.

Orientation video: Colleges bring together people of diverse backgrounds and opinions…

Kirk: Listen to this freshman orientation video now being used at some schools, Jon.

Orientation video: Efforts to talk and listen to those you disagree with can greatly impact campus culture.

Kirk: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression produced the video, titled “Talking Across Differences.”

Orientation video: Engaging only with similar worldviews limits our curiosity and increases hostility.

Jon: It’s come to this, Kirk. Colleges now teach students how to converse civilly.

Kirk: From UC to UW, Rutgers to Harvard, colleges are revising free speech and protest policies, especially for protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Administrators and nonprofits aim to improve civil discourse.

We’ll explain what’s happening and what it means for you.

Music:

Kirk: This is College Uncovered from GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

I’m Kirk Carapezza from GBH News…

Jon:…and I’m Jon Marcus with The Hechinger Report.

Today: “The politics of protests.”

Campus divides over the Gaza conflict are reshaping student experiences through new protest guidelines.

Kirk: UC and Cal State systems are cracking down on encampments and unauthorized structures. Cal State’s new policy bans barriers, tents, and masks. The University of California issued similar bans on encampments and mass demonstrators.

Jon: These changes follow a turbulent spring semester with protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Sound of campus protest:

Jon: California lawmakers are withholding $25 million in state funding for UC until it establishes a free speech and protest policy.

Kirk: Rutgers and Columbia now limit campus access to those with school IDs.

Jon: Penn limits microphones, speakers, and megaphones and bans chalk slogans on walls and sidewalks.

Kirk: These schools aim to balance protest rights with the educational needs of other students, raising questions about enforcement and student activism.

Enforcement of bans on masks and encampments will be challenging. What does this mean for student activism?

Robert Cohen: My name is Robert Cohen. I teach history and social studies at New York University.

Kirk: Cohen says student activism has always faced public disapproval and institutional suppression.

Robert Cohen: Movements like the sit-in movement against racial discrimination, the Freedom Rides, and the antiwar movement of the ‘60s were unpopular.

News commentator: They protested war, poverty, racism, and social ills, often provoking confrontations.

Robert Cohen: Universities suppressed these movements, as with last semester’s protests.

Kirk: Over 3,100 students were arrested between mid-April and mid-June, higher than most of the 1960s. Today’s protests, however, are less widespread and violent.

Robert Cohen: Most charges were dropped due to lack of severe lawlessness or violence. The largest student protests in May 1970 involved millions, following the Cambodian invasion and Kent State shootings.

Jon: Last semester’s protests involved thousands, not millions. A survey found two-thirds of students said protests had no effect on their education. Colleges spent the summer preparing for more protests.

Kirk: One idea gaining traction is promoting civic dialogue in and out of the classroom. Emerson College launched “Emerson Together” to create campus unity.

Jon: Hamilton College started “Civil Discourse in Local Politics,” connecting students with local politicians.

Kirk: Dartmouth’s “The Dialogue Project” prepares students for tough conversations. Ohio Wesleyan University offers civil discourse training for all students, faculty, and staff.

Is this the new norm? Civil discourse training?

Raj Vannakota: You can’t assume where students, faculty, and administrators stand.

Kirk: Raj Vannakota leads College Presidents for Civic Preparedness to help students, faculty, and administrators.

Raj Vannakota: Some are experienced, others need basic building blocks.

Kirk: Especially for a generation that experienced Covid-19 isolation and a divided national government.

Vannakota says these initiatives aim to promote healthy debate.

Raj Vannakota: We need to promote free inquiry and debate, not just free expression. Students need structured dialogue and debate, not a chaotic environment.

Kirk: Jonathan Rauch, a fellow at Brookings Institution, agrees. Rauch says campuses need a genuine culture of free speech.

Jonathan Rauch: Students should expect to encounter offensive ideas. That’s education.

Kirk: Rauch says students should address disagreements with peers and professors, not administrators.

Jonathan Rauch: Debating opposing views is good training for life and tolerance.

Kirk: Professors find it hard to foster civil conversation in class as students feel less safe to speak up.

Talia Khan, an MIT engineering student and jazz band performer, felt safe until Oct. 7.

Music:

Kirk: Here she is singing “Lonely Moments.”

Khan, with a Jewish mother and Muslim father, felt unsafe after Oct. 7.

Talia Khan: Students blamed Israel for the violence.

Kirk: Khan disagreed, lost friendships, and suffered mentally as campus polarization grew.

Talia Khan: Some friends justified the Nova massacre, deeply affecting me.

Jon: Since the Gaza conflict, campuses are deeply divided. Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli activists often stop communicating, with some students transferring due to rising anti-semitism and Islamophobia.

University of Chicago researchers found over half of Jewish and Muslim students feel unsafe on campus due to the conflict.

Robert Pape: Campus fears are more intense and widespread than previously known.

Kirk: Robert Pape, who studies political violence, authored the Chicago report.

Robert Pape: Students hear protest chants they interpret as genocidal, scaring all groups. They witness campus violence and intimidation.

Disagreement over protest language meanings is part of the problem.

Robert Pape: Some students chant “from the river to the sea” without genocidal intent, but others interpret it as such, causing fear.

Kirk: Harvard junior Jana Amin felt real harm after being publicly identified by a pro-Israeli group.

Jana Amin: I was devastated and scared for my safety.

Kirk: Amin felt comfortable on campus before the doxing truck incident.

Jana Amin: The truck’s presence with my face on it forever changed my view of Harvard.

Jon: Jewish students supporting Israel also lose trust in colleges and civil discourse.

Becca Packer: Many are unwilling to have conversations; it’s their way or the highway.

Jon: Berklee’s Becca Packer found anti-semitic posts on social media after Oct. 7.

Becca Packer: I felt compelled to offer an opposing perspective on Instagram.

Kirk: The heated environment affects the already battered reputation of American colleges.

Jon: Protests deepened the erosion of public trust in colleges. A SimpsonScarborough survey shows declining trust, especially among Republican parents.

Kirk: Nearly half of Republican parents said protests further eroded their trust in colleges.

Jon: Democrats and independents were less affected, but trust in higher education has declined significantly, with confidence dropping from around 60 percent to 40 percent last year.

Kirk: Concerns about political agendas and so-called woke culture contribute to this crisis in higher education.

Lynn Pasquerella: We must listen to critics and address their concerns to avoid our demise.

Kirk: Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, stresses the importance of addressing these issues.

If college leaders ignore this, it’s not just the institutions that fail.

Lynn Pasquerella: Democracy fails. A liberal education helps resist authoritarian tendencies and fosters confidence in diverse viewpoints.

Jon: Campus leaders are updating speech and protest policies, preparing for more protests amid rising culture wars and polarization.

Kirk: Colleges are trying to preemptively address these issues, with Pasquerella emphasizing transparent communication of policies.

Lynn Pasquerella: Leaders must create a culture of respect for diversity and consistently enforce policies.

Music:

Kirk: We’ll explore how the politics of campus protests and classroom discussions have evolved.

John Tomasi, president of Heterodox Academy, discusses the lack of viewpoint diversity on campuses.

Heterodox Academy, a nonpartisan advocacy group, addresses these issues without fully disclosing funding sources.

Tomasi, a former Brown University professor, explains how Heterodox Academy started and its mission.

John Tomasi: It began as a techie group of academics addressing social science biases, but public interest grew.

Tomasi recalls a pivotal incident involving former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly at Brown.

John Tomasi: Students protested Kelly’s stop-and-frisk policy, shouting him down without fear of repercussions. This brazenness marked a shift in campus activism.

Kirk: Tomasi notes a similar incident at Yale over Halloween costume guidelines, reflecting changing campus attitudes.

John Tomasi: Students resisted the idea of not taking things too seriously, indicating a shift in campus culture.

Kirk: Political and social divisions threaten academic freedom and change the college experience, with many students adopting a philosophy of “silence is safer.”

A Heterodox survey shows 70 percent of students self-censor, fearing social media backlash.

John Tomasi: Students fear social media more than professors, worried about their social and personal lives being ruined.

Kirk: One speaker noted that students who grew up on social media and Zoom struggle with face-to-face disagreements.

John Tomasi: The problems we see are fixed patterns of human behavior, influenced by social cues.

Jon: Organizations like Heterodox Academy and FIRE are controversial, often seen as defending conservative speakers.

However, Tomasi says Heterodox is growing, with over 50 colleges establishing communities led by faculty.

Music:

Jon: Heterodox and FIRE are external initiatives. Wisconsin faculty launched The Discussion Project, a training model for civil discussions.

Katherine Cramer: Students fear each other, especially discussing politics, due to fear of public shaming.

Jon: Political scientist Katherine Cramer participates in The Discussion Project at Wisconsin.

Katherine Cramer, in class: Welcome, everyone. Great to see familiar faces.

Jon: Since the pandemic, Cramer notes increased student fear of public shaming.

Kirk: Silence is safer is a widespread philosophy, even in closed classrooms.

How quickly has the college experience changed?

Katherine Cramer: Fast. The pandemic and toxic political environment have contributed to this sense that silence is safer.

Jon: Cramer says it’s increasingly hard to foster civil conversation in class, with students often disengaged.

Katherine Cramer: Students are often silent, even when encouraged to talk about any topic.

Jon: Cramer notes that the broader political environment encourages suspicion and division.

Katherine Cramer: The political climate discourages engagement with opposing views, contributing to campus issues.

Jon: The Discussion Project suggests equal participation in discussions and personal connection to course content.

Katherine Cramer: Egalitarian discussion leadership and personal relevance help foster civil discourse.

Jon: With elections looming, civil classroom discussions matter beyond campuses.

Katherine Cramer: College experiences reflect and influence broader societal issues and future leaders.

Kirk: This is College Uncovered from GBH News and The Hechinger Report. I’m Kirk Carapezza…

Jon:…and I’m Jon Marcus. We’d love to hear from you. Send an email to GBHNewsConnect@WGBH.org or leave a voicemail at (617) 300-2486. We might answer your question on the show.

This episode was produced and written by Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus, edited by Jeff Keating.

Meg Woolhouse is supervising editor.

Ellen London is executive producer.

Production assistance from Diane Adame.

Mixing and sound design by David Goodman and Gary Mott.

Theme song and original music by Left Roman out of MIT.

Mei He is our project manager. Head of GBH podcasts is Devin Maverick Robins.

College Uncovered is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report, distributed by PRX, and made possible by Lumina Foundation.

Thanks for listening.

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