As student protests across more than 120 American universities face unprecedented levels of armed crackdowns, replete with student suspensions and arrests, a crucial question is pinned on the consistency of the future higher education in America. Would liberal and higher education, in general, take the fall, or would it remodel itself and successfully adapt to changing times, thereby retaining its relevance?
American universities are often seen spearheading socio-political movements through mass student agitations. In the wake of the ongoing pro-Palestine protests, universities have reacted across a diverse spectrum: from actively cracking down student protests with the help of the police, as in the case of Colombia University, to acknowledging and implementing students’ demands of divestment, such as Brown University.
Nevertheless, given the nearing of the semester ends, colleges are now witnessing a ‘fizzling out’ of movements as students prepare both for their final examinations and to leave campus.
Significant impacts of protests on Education
Given how the modern-day relevance of college education was already under heavy scrutiny due to its high cost and failure to provide job security, the ongoing student protests have significantly affected the higher education of almost an entire generation of America, especially in regard to campus mobility. The predicament is especially dire for international students. The acknowledgement of rising racism, violence and desecration within the college campus has led to a resurgence in online classes.
Though temporary, online classes are also now a ‘refuge’ for students who, due to either their views or background, would find it especially difficult to navigate their campus as before. Thus, the call for discernment and discretion is necessary, as faculty members of various universities emphasise. Professor Khamis from the University of Maryland has highlighted the danger of racism through generalization that could not only backfire on student movements but also potentially deter future students from pursuing their education in the university of choice.
Last but not least, American student protests within the current context of the Israel-Palestine conflict have also invited criticism over the very nature of the protests. Parents express their concern over the entanglement of politics and education, given that several cases of desecration and accompanying ‘tone-deaf’ actions of protestors often lead to the dismissal of the entire movement in itself, self-invalidating its own cause with a grievous disconnect between the values students care about as opposed to their actions.
In conclusion, while student protests are viewed as an exercise of democracy, their volatile nature is potentially the biggest threat to the future of the protestors. The further lack of discourse presents an even bleaker picture of the future of student agitations. As Professor Khamis concludes, it is the onus of the teachers and administration to provide adequate space for protests while simultaneously enforcing firm boundaries.
