Boston-area colleges are preparing for potential campus demonstrations and updating their protest policies as students return to politically-polarized college campuses.
Tufts President Sunil Kumar recently emailed the campus community to emphasize that the right to protest doesn’t override students’ right to learn or express differing opinions. “True advocacy also includes listening and inviting others in rather than pushing them aside,” Kumar wrote.
With emotions running high due to the ongoing war in Gaza and November’s US presidential election, schools like Tufts, Harvard, MIT, Emerson and Northeastern, all of which experienced significant disruptions last year, are working to make students more aware of their policies.
“Schools should be ready this year for protests,” said Sandy Lish, an expert in crisis communication and a co-founder of the Castle Group. “They know that there’s still the same issues that existed last year, plus we’re about to get into the very bloody end of the election cycle.”
At Emerson College, where 118 protesters were arrested in late April, administrators have introduced a new process for reserving indoor demonstration spaces. Following the example of Harvard, Holy Cross and others, Emerson also adopted a stance of “ institutional neutrality,” meaning administrators and staff won’t be allowed to comment on controversial geopolitical issues that don’t directly impact campus life.
“While performing official duties, Emerson employees may not engage in actions or speech that suppress the expression of diverse viewpoints or suggest they are speaking for the institution,” Emerson’s new policy states. “Our campus community should actively avoid undue collective pressure about what to believe and should strongly encourage mutual respect toward all community members regardless of their beliefs.”
Lish said the challenge of such policies is that colleges must define what’s relevant to campus life. “Is it where investments are coming from? Is it what’s being said on campuses or in classrooms?” she said.
Northeastern philosophy professor Matthew Smith said reasonable enforcement of protest policies is critical.
He recalled how Northeastern administrators requested state police to clear a peaceful student encampment in April. More than 100 students were taken into custody.
“This was clearly a case of scare tactics,” Smith said. “Their response to the student encampment this spring indicates that they are entirely willing to do whatever it takes in order to limit the effectiveness of student protests.”
Many colleges say they are prioritizing civic dialogue this academic year.
Emerson is launching “Emerson Together,” an initiative aimed at uniting the community through creativity and collaboration. Dartmouth College created “The Dialogue Project” to help its incoming class engage in challenging conversations. Hamilton College in upstate New York introduced a pilot program called “Civil Discourse and Local Politics” as part of freshman orientation.
“You can’t make assumptions about where students and faculty are,” said Raj Vinnakota, president of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a group of education leaders hoping to advance critical inquiry on campus.
Vinnakota said some students and faculty understand how to have constructive dialog better than others, so colleges have to start with the basics.
