Page 28 - Issue 63

Vol.1 Issue 63 January 2024Vol.1 Issue 63, May 2024 ElITE

Ironically, both Harvard and UPenn The universities are also under pressure

are ranked last in a group of 248 from donors, who have been a large
American University in the index of factor in the resignation of Claudine Gay

College Free Speech Rankings, an index and Lizz Magil. Ross Stevens, the
created by the Foundation for Individual proprietor and creator of Stone Ridge

Rights and Expressions (FIRE), an Asset Management situated in New
NGO. In their last annual report, FIRE York, declared the withdrawal of a $100
found that 33% of students at the worst 5 million donation to the University of

performing universities found it hard to Pennsylvania, citing the institution's
speak about the Israeli/Palestinian tolerance towards hate speech. And in

conflict, compared to 15% in the top 5 November over 1,600 Harvard
performing universities. In Columbia, University alumni stated that they will

two student groups, Students for Justice refrain from contributing donations to
in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, the institution until Harvard promptly

has been suspended for organizing addresses the issue of antisemitism on its
unauthorized demonstrations. All of this campus.
suggest that the committee targeted the The implications of the ongoing events

universities that are already censoring will be crucial for Americans, which
Pro-Palestinians the most so that it could makes it crucial to the cause. Many fear

pressure them to do more. that the crackdown will constrain
Another thing to notice is that all the freedom of speech on campuses. <Some

Universities that have been called to a professors are taking the protests side to
hearing are private ones, which the defend campus freedom of speech, not

government has less control over than because they are Pro-Palestine,= said a
public ones. Public universities adhere to Professor at FEPS who studied and
state education laws and are operated taught at the US. However, current

directly by the government. On the other events can be a crossroads. The
hand, private universities are compiled professor noted how African American

only to certain federal regulations, such are losing empathy for Jews as a fellow
as those related to accreditation, oppressed minority. He also noted how
financial aid programs, and civil rights. the protests are taking part in the liberal

They are also typically funded through states and the top universities in
tuition, donations, and endowments, republican ones, like Texas, predicting

rather than direct government funding. that the left and the right are moving
As a result, they have more autonomy in further from each other, breaking what

decision-making and the government has he called <US fake democracy=. <They
no formal power over who fills the will reshape ideologies, parties, and

administrators’ positions, which makes foreign policy of the US because they are
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pushing them to silence Pro-Palestinian not just about Palestine, they are about
protesters harder. principles,= he then concluded.