My apologies if this comes off sounding a bit on the crude side, but has someone in the administration at Harvard finally started to “grow a pair?” Following months of protests and disruptions, Harvard finally suspended the student group Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC). The same group had already been placed on probation for their ongoing antics, but it never seemed to slow them down. In a letter to the group, the administration further warned them that if they continued to operate or inappropriately use campus spaces, the members would face expulsion and be banished from Harvard Yard. PSC still has many supporters among the faculty and student body who are protesting the suspension, but it sounds as if the administrators are serious about this. The question is, will PSC’s members pay any attention to the order or simply ignore it? (National Review)
Harvard College temporarily suspended Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) on Wednesday for the remainder of the semester and students will face expulsion if they continue to operate.
Harvard College informed the group via email that it was temporarily suspended for failing to register a protest and violating guidelines on the responsible use of space. The group had been on probation since March.
“The organization will not be recognized and will not have access to university benefits and services during this time, including but not limited to use of campus space and appropriate use of the Harvard name,” reads an email from Harvard College, reviewed by the student-run publication The Harvard Crimson.
PSC responded by claiming that they have faced “unprecedented repression” and “racist harassment” on campus. They are being supported by the Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, who condemned the suspension and called for the group to be reinstated. Other student groups that have been showing solidarity with PSC similarly objected.
What else was Harvard supposed to do? They’ve tolerated this dangerous, disruptive nonsense for far too long already. They tried to move incrementally by not coming down on the groups like a ton of bricks immediately. Last week they restricted access to Harvard Yard for people holding university IDs. They posted signs warning that groups blocking the sidewalks or access to campus facilities would face suspension. It’s not as if these protesters weren’t given more than a fair amount of warning.
That brings us back to the question I posed above. Once the school announced the restricted access policies, the groups simply ignored them and shut down the quad anyway. Why would the suspension of the student group impede them? For that matter, even if they suspend the individual student members, it’s not easy to lock down a facility such as the Harvard campus as if it were a prison. Suspended students would still likely be able to make it back in to participate in additional protests.
Some sort of response by Harvard was obviously required and long overdue. The school is already losing money from some of its largest donors and alumni. And whether they realize it or not, many of these students are protesting their way out of the job market if and when they graduate. The problem here is that Harvard failed to act quickly and decisively when all of this began. This left the students with the impression that they could get away with pretty much anything. I realize that protests on college campuses have become something of a tradition in this country and we don’t want to do away with free speech. But there have to be limits and the actions that are being taken by these groups have definitely crossed a line.