College campuses remain largely peaceful, even as widespread protests mark war anniversary

NEW YORK — Colleges were bracing for what pro-Palestinian students nationwide intended to be a “Week of Rage” marking the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.

But the demonstrations across the country proved to be much tamer than touted, as institutions implemented new restrictions to crack down on large-scale protests.

Students and faculty on college campuses from coast to coast held antiwar protests — including lectures, study sessions, vigils and walkouts — to mark the anniversary of the now-spiraling conflict in the Middle East. They were the first major demonstrations since the encampments last school year that roiled campuses and captivated lawmakers in Congress, and unfolded in the final weeks of a razor-thin presidential election where the youth vote will be crucial.

In some cases, the new rules are exacerbating tensions on campuses.

“Those restrictions are Orwellian,” said Todd Wolfson, a professor at Rutgers University and president of the American Association of University Professors. “At Rutgers, you have to get a free speech permit to have freedom of speech on Rutgers’ campus now. That is the opposite of what freedom of speech is.”

At the University of Michigan, only one person was arrested during a walkout of a few hundred students — though two institution leaders had their homes vandalized . Harvard University held a vigil on campus, and a statue of John Harvard was later defaced and windows broken at a university building. At Pomona College , student protesters took over a campus building and vandalized classrooms.

Students at dozen of other schools also rallied, including Columbia University, the City University of New York, the University of Texas in Dallas , UCLA , UC Berkeley and Rice University .

Colleges seemed more prepared to handle actions this week than earlier this year when many campuses were caught flat-footed by antiwar encampments that lasted for weeks and resulted in vandalism and the arrests of thousands of protesters. They imposed stricter policies to curb certain activities, including requiring permits, limiting when students can protest and banning encampments. Some institutions boosted security on campus and even sought to cancel events on Oct. 7 to prevent potential conflicts among students.

The university’s clampdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations did little to satisfy either side of the debate. Some students and faculty are concerned about suppression of speech on campus, while many Jewish students and Israel supporters say the new university policies don’t go far enough.

“The bar for what students are allowed to do on campus is … too lenient,” said Brian Cohen, executive director of Columbia University’s chapter of Hillel, a Jewish campus organization. “Students can do what they want, when they want, where they want and essentially, from a protest standpoint, don’t need permission from the university.”

Rutgers’ Wolfson countered that the protests were “nowhere near the level that we saw at the height of the encampments last year,” and warned that students and faculty are worried about being monitored by their institutions, arrested or even kicked out of school. Most of the concerns are “being felt by those who want an end to the war,” he said.

In New York City, students at several institutions — including Columbia, CUNY, New York University and The New School — walked out of school Monday in support of Palestinians. They convened in Washington Square Park for a citywide action organized by Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian group.

In the weeks leading up to the planned walkouts, city institutions took steps to curb dissent.

Columbia recently revised guidelines that require groups to give the public safety and university life offices a heads up about protests. The university is also prohibiting encampments. Protesters are allowed to wear face coverings, but are expected to identify themselves to university officers if they’re suspected of flouting university rules.

This week, Columbia also limited access to its Morningside Heights campus to students, staff and approved visitors and increased the number of public safety personnel.

As part of its updated guidance on student conduct , NYU is defining “code words, like ‘Zionist,’” as speech that flouts the university’s non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.

The institution also said protesting off-campus does not “immunize” students from disciplinary action — and that social media posts “outside the university context” violate university policies if they threaten individuals’ safety or disrupt “the regular operation of the university.”

However, Columbia's Cohen argued that barring encampments is meaningless as students continue to march on and off campus. Pro-Israel students set up an art installation Monday to counter the walkout that included milk cartons featuring Hamas’ hostages.

Gracey, a New York University student who asked to only be identified by her first name due to safety concerns, described NYU’s rules as a “huge overreach.” Students are still mobilizing, she said, but at a smaller scale.

“People just feel an extra level of anxiety about what the implications are for them to protest and people [are] just taking additional measures to protect themselves,” she said.

That anxiety has spilled into classrooms, which once featured more robust discussions about NYU’s approach, she added.

Interim Columbia President Katrina Armstrong recently said the university wants to strike a balance between protecting the right to free speech and safety on campus. The previous president, Minouche Shafik, resigned amid frustrations among faculty and students over the institution’s response to protests.

“We are committed to applying the rules fairly, consistently, and efficiently, and ensuring members of our community can fulfill our core academic mission and study, teach, and learn on our campus,” Columbia spokesperson Samantha Slater said in a statement.

CUNY, for its part, pointed to a new center focused on the university’s work to combat hate as well as additional training on “difficult conversations.”

“While most community members continue to express their views peacefully, CUNY has made clear it has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate of any kind,” Noah Gardy, a university spokesperson, said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to enforce policies to ensure that our campuses remain safe, accessible and welcoming to everyone.”