We have gotten used to the spectacle of college students mounting some protest, issuing demands, and the school officials falling all over themselves to placate them. At the University of North Carolina, surprisingly, when students protested and demanded university divestment, the administration ignored them.
In today’s Martin Center article, Jenna Robinson covers about this remarkable turn of events:
The UNC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) doesn’t have a great track record on free speech and civil discourse. Its members have occupied university administrative buildings, attempted to shout down speakers, and used intimidation tactics on Jewish students.
So it’s unsurprising that SJP shows equal disdain for the university’s commitment to institutional neutrality.
The Chapel Hill student organization has shared a list of “demands” for university action in an online petition and in a letter to UNC administration. The list of demands, if met, would be the equivalent of UNC taking sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Guess what, SJP? You’re not getting your way. The UNC System is committed to institutional neutrality, as it should be.
Read the whole thing.