Issue No. 4
Restoring Order on Campuses
“This is not complicated …”
Washington University president releases statement about campus arrests: He supports free expression, but not as a license to break rules and trample on the civil rights of others.
MIT president films video to end protest ASAP: She states she has heard from all sides and has measured the negative impact of the protests on entire MIT community and declares it is inviting dangerous outside elements onto campus and it is time to bring the encampment to an end.
Tufts calls for end of encampment: University president makes clear statement of his goal to end encampment and return order to campus in time for graduation.
Emory University president issues clear statement: His letter condemns outside groups agitating on campus and calls for peaceful resolution.
Vanderbilt president espouses neutrality: Driemeier authors article outlining his university’s commitment to neutrality, while also taking action to maintain safety for all parties and decorum on campus.
Thousands sign letter to increase safety at Columbia: Community members increase backlash against the Shafik’s inept leadership and the Columbia board. Alumni demand action against antisemitism from Shafik.
Brown Leadership Makes Clear Statement and Begins Enforcement: Administrative Team Announces it will refer to the Code of Conduct for any campus demonstrations.
Princeton Maintains Calm Campus: Residence Life VP clearly spells out the policy and punishments for offenders.
Northeastern Takes Action: 100s are arrested as Northeastern cracks down on outside agitors and campus chaos.
Outside Influence & Bias
University Demonstrations Are Part of Master Plan: The Gatestone Institute’s recent report presents clear evidence that the current wave of US college unrest is part of a coordinated brainwashing effort by terrorist groups who are experts at using our democracy for their own purposes. It’s been in the works for at least 30 year.
Departmental Bias: Northwestern’s Asia Studies Department has been profiled for its blatant antisemitism and biased partnerships.
At Northwestern University
Breach of Campus Safety: Reporter demonstrates how protesters are permitted to freely use NU facilities and enter buildings without proper ID by staff, compromising the safety of everyone on campus.
National News Spotlight on NU Protestors: The demands and actions of protestors are out of line, casting a negative light on NU and its entire community of donors, alumni and supporters nationally.
Addendum to Code of Conduct: Schill’s letter to the community arrived, but the pro-Hamas protestors on Deering Meadow are EXEMPT FROM any of the new rules. As everyone can see, they are still very successful at breaking them in broad daylight without consequence.
Notable Recent Quotes
Truly amazing! Columbia decided to hold its students accountable to the laws of the school. They are seeing the consequences of their actions. Something these kids were most likely never taught. Good SAT scores and self-entitlement do not supersede the law. I am sure you would agree that we have to teach them these valuable life skills. – NYPD Chief of Patrol
“I can tell you, if I went into the NYU square with a white hood on and said, ‘Lynch the blacks’ or ‘Burn the gays,’ my ID would be shut off by that night.” … “I would never work in academia again,” he added. “There would be no need for the words ‘context’ or ‘nuance,’ I would not be protected by the First Amendment or free speech.” Scott Galloway, an NYU Stern School of Business professor, told MSNBC on Tuesday.
Comments from Our Community of Donors, Alumni, Parents, Students
It seems the lesson at Northwestern is that chaos, bullying, unlawfulness and vile antisemitism pays off. They are allowed to use bullhorns, set up camp, bring in outsiders and then reap the rewards. This is absolute insanity. Bring on the screens, drums, divest from Qatar madness.
Other schools are now forcing closure of the encampments. Our jackass president rewards them.
It is patently offensive that the ASG would vote on an antisemitic resolution, and especially during a Jewish holiday. This resolution contains antisemitic propaganda and factual errors. Everyone involved should be ashamed. Why is SJP still on campus and able to sponsor something like this? Northwestern should have revoked their charter long ago, like many of the other schools have done.
Do you think the administration is supporting the action in Deering? Why else wouldn’t they enforce their own rules or at a very minimum call out the blatant antisemitism?
You are not allowed to loft a bed in the dorm. I’m certain that setting up an encampment on Deering Meadow cannot be allowed. But the NU administration will probably be out there serving hot cocoa and bagels. Or perhaps just cowering in their offices while campus becomes increasingly dangerous for the Jewish community.
The university can and must enforce its rules and not turn the campus over to thugs. Columbia is a disaster because the school took halting half-assed action and then backed off. Should have stuck to their guns and continued the arrests with a show of force. Clear the Meadow!!!
This seems to be yet another failure by the Michael Schill administration to do the right thing for the university. Underneath all of this, the two things we are all worried about are antisemitism and Northwestern losing its soul.
My friend has an immediate solution for her family. Her grandson’s first choice for college for the past three years has been NU but he just turned down his admission offer and is going to University of Florida next fall.
ALL of these encampments copy one another because THEY ARE BEING COORDINATED BY AN OUTSIDE NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS including Code Pink (funded by a CCP supporter), Samidoun (ties to Iran), several “Muslim” organizations with ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. There is a separate group of communist/socialist organizations, which likely coordinate closely with the many labor unions (including the graduate student unions at many of these schools). I understand that for those of us who are staunch Democrats, this all sounds like a right wing conspiracy! But this is what is happening, right now ON OUR CAMPUS! We have very clear evidence that Hamas and PFLP supporters are ON CAMPUSES organizing these encampments. I would urge those of you confused by this to ponder WHY outlets that treated antisemitism as a national threat under Trump now have a media blackout while terrorist sympathizers (and in some cases actual terrorists) are in residence on campus.
Clear Bias in The Daily Northwestern Submitted by an Alum
Here is what I wrote to the LTE editor, Emily Lichty, and later copied to Editor in Chief Jacob Wendler this morning. I have not received a response from either.
Hi Emily,
Having been through the LTE process twice with the Daily staff, and reviewing at least one LTE published today, I wonder whether your staff treats some letters differently than other. Specifically, do letters supporting the anti-Israel protests receive favored treatment in editing and publishing (as, it appears, do news reports covering the anti-Israel protests)? It would appear so.
My original letter was about 300 words. You told me that the Daily prefers them to be at least 600 words, with very limited exceptions.So I had to rewrite it.
But today I see a far shorter letter from Wendy Pearlman, leader of a rabidly anti-Israel faction of the NU faculty (one that includes Medill Professor Steven Thrasher, who is not only leading the protest, but who also teaches his students that journalists should not be "objective"), that is far shorter than mine. (FYI, Professor Pearlman's signature appears TWICE in the LTE.) Last Friday you published an even shorter letter from "The Black 100" which contains a gross mischaracterization of what the ICJ actually found -- which you will see what I mean in this video interview of the former head of the ICJ who led the court at the time of the ruling.
All of this, plus the clearly slanted coverage of yesterday's counter demonstration that amplifies the anti-Israel protestors' views -- as if that were needed -- simply reinforces the view among many of us who support Israel that the Daily staff -- both news and editorial -- have lost all pretense of objectivity and decided to side with the protestors.
Those of us in the greater Northwestern community who support Israel and decry the virulent antisemitism coming out of the Deering protest would appreciate an opportunity to have an open conversation with you and the other senior leaders of The Daily to understand how our campus newspaper's coverage of an extremely complex set of issues has come to resemble just another component of the pro-Hamas propaganda machine.
In case you are curious where this statement comes from, I commend you to this article which explains exactly what is happening and the anti-Israel groups' "long" game being played out now on college campuses like ours. The Inside Story of How Palestinians Took Over the World.
I hope you are your colleagues take this matter as seriously as we parents and alumni do. Northwestern has always been a welcoming, safe place for its Jewish community. But many of us fear that the anti-Israel crowd is changing that, perhaps permanently.
Stuart Gibson
Medill 1973