Editorial and Opinion Page

As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, college students have become involved in controversy as protests have occurred on campuses throughout the nation. These rallies have been displayed at prominent schools such as Howard University and Columbia University. However, these on-campus rallies have escalated as students at New York University protested in a local park, while students of George Washington University went to the school’s library located at the Capitol. Unfortunately, rather than rallying together to advocate for others in a civil manner, these passionate students have been aggressive toward one another. 

Social media has certainly increased the tension between college students. Recently, a video went viral where Jewish students at Cooper Union, a private school in the city of New York, were crowded together in a library in fear as a large group of protesters supporting Palestine banged on the door. Many Jewish students feel threatened and believe they are in need of a safe place where they can freely stand by Israel and express their faith, as their fear has been driven by these kinds of protests along with anti-Semitic posts on social media. Not only are Jewish students feeling threatened, but so are pro-Palestinian protestors, who claim that they have faced harassment, while their personal information has even been posted online. Furthermore, there is an activist group named Accuracy in Media that has driven a truck to college campuses, where they display the personal information of protestors. This group has even admitted to going further by bringing their truck to the homes of protestors. 

This controversy and chaos has taken a toll on all students, including those who simply do not want to get involved. One weary graduate student at Columbia claims, “I’m not an expert. I don’t have an opinion.” Students on both sides of the conflict in the Middle East feel that they are underrepresented by their campus. However, students who have not taken a side agree. This particular graduate student at Columbia stated, “You can either act like you don’t care and avoid whatever they say, or you can try to reason and understand what’s going on to see an ideological way of picking a side. But the situation is so involved.” This demonstrates the toll taken on students mentally: although students across the country may have their disagreements regarding the war, they can find common ground in their exhaustion.

As high school students, the ongoing protests on campuses should be significant as a large percentage of us will go to college before long. Students should be encouraged to freely represent those that they stand for, while also keeping in mind the dangers on both sides of protests, as both the victims and supporters of rallies can be threatened and endangered, which has become easier through social media. Most importantly, college is a time when students can coincide with others who come from a variety of backgrounds, and this critical life experience has been taken away due to this controversy. College students should present their side; however, this needs to be achieved while maintaining respect for one another, in order to maintain a peaceful environment.