Universities You Should Avoid for Their Censorship Policies
It’s that time of the year! College counselors who are underpaid and overworked, teenagers who are sleep-deprived, and anxious parents all come together in a collective fervor of essay writing and activity-list polishing to determine the fate of high school seniors for the upcoming four years — welcome to the university enrollment season.
As the regular admissions deadlines are approaching closer, many of us seniors are going to be submitting our applications to colleges, commencing our journeys to places we will soon associate our identities with. Hence, it is important that we make informed decisions and commit ourselves to places that align with our values.
As the situation in Palestine continues, we are yet again reminded that our solidarity must continue to be in favor of the rights of the Palestinian people. Here is a list of some popular universities to enroll at and those to wave goodbye to.
Universities to tick off
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Rutgers University hit a deal with student protestors to enter into dialogue with the leadership team. They have agreed to meet 8/10 demands of a coalition of Pro Palestine students. These demands include 10 scholarships for displaced Palestinian students and exploring Scholarly exchanges with a university in Ramallah, Palestine.
Northwestern University, Illinois
Similar to Rutgers, Northwestern has decided to enter into dialogue with students and has decided to uphold the student’s right to free speech, support Palestinian students and faculty at risk and cover the full cost of attendance for 5 Palestinian students to attend Northwestern among other measures.
University of Minnesota, Minnesota
Though the University of Minnesota initially used police intervention to curb protests resulting in the arrest of nine people, eventually it decided to enter into negotiations with protest organizers, reaching an agreement that included considerations such as setting up affiliations with Palestinian universities.
Portland State University, Oregon
Portland State University School President Ann Cudd has agreed to pause all ties with Boeing because of its ties to Israel and its weapons manufacturing division.
Universities to cross off
Columbia University, New York
Columbia University in New York, a prestigious Ivy League institution called in the NYPD on May 1, 2024, to disorient pro-Palestine protests that had occupied Hamilton Hall. Dozens of people were taken into custody and three encampments were destroyed.
New York University, New York
At NYU, law student Ryna Workman was voted out of the school’s Student Bar Association and lost a job offer from Winston & Strawn after sharing a message expressing solidarity with Palestinians. In the Student Bar Association’s newsletter she shared a message expressing that Israel is to blame for the deaths of the 1000 Israelis killed by Hamas.
Emory University, Atlanta
Crackdown on protestors at Emory University took a violent turn as the police pinned students down to arrest them. Among the 28 arrested, was also the Chair of Emory’s own Philosophy Department, Caroline Fohlin. Students also allege that the police made use of tear gas.
Brown University, Rhode Island
As per the New York Times, Brown University made a deal with student protestors to consider their demands if they agreed to tear down encampments. However, the university board voted against the divestment of funds from Israel.
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