Education
How Columbia University’s complex history with the student protest movement resonates today
NEW YORK (AP) – Students are taking on space and demanding change. University administrators under pressure to regain control. Police brought in to make arrests. In other schools: students concentrate and sometimes take motion.
Columbia University, 2024. And Columbia University, 1968.
The pro-Palestinian demonstration and subsequent arrests in Colombia, which have now sparked similar protests on campuses across the country and even internationally, are nothing latest for college kids at the Ivy League school. They are the latest in a Colombian tradition that dates back greater than fifty years – which also helped encourage anti-apartheid protests in the Eighties, protests during the Iraq War, and more.
“When you go to Columbia, you know you’re going to an institution that holds a proud place in the history of American protests,” said Mark Naison, a professor of history and African-American studies at Fordham University, who was himself a participant in the 1968 demonstrations. “Whenever there is a movement , you know Columbia will be there.”
Students are aware of history
Students collaborating on this month’s demonstrations emphasize that it is a component of Colombia’s tradition – something recognized by the school itself in a program marking the anniversary and taught in classes.
“Many of the students here are aware of what happened in 1968,” said Sofia Ongele, 23, who was amongst those that joined the camp in response to this month’s arrests.
The end of the academic yr was also approaching in April this yr, when students took over five campus buildings. There were many reasons. Some protested against the university’s affiliation with an institute that researched weapons for the Vietnam War; others objected to the elite school’s treatment of black and brown residents in the communities around the school, in addition to the atmosphere amongst minority students.
After a couple of days, the president of Colombia authorized the arrival of a thousand New York law enforcement officials who were to remove most of the demonstrators. The arrests, which numbered 700, weren’t lenient. Fists were flying and batons were swinging. Dozens of scholars and a number of other officers were injured.
History has never been forgotten. This includes when pro-Palestinian students calling on the university to chop all economic ties with Israel over the war in Gaza arrange a tent camp earlier this month and greater than 100 people were arrested. This helped spark similar demonstrations on campuses across the country and the world.
The long history of protests is one in every of the reasons Ongele selected Columbia for school and got here here from her hometown of Santa Clarita, California. “I wanted to be in an environment where people were actually socially aware,” she said.
As for the protest, “We have not only the privilege, but the responsibility to continue to follow those who came before us,” Onngele said. The goal, she said: to be certain that “we’re able to take care of the integrity of this university as a very socially conscious university, one where students truly care about what is occurring in the world, what is occurring in our communities and what is occurring in the lives of the students who make up our community.”
Columbia University officials didn’t reply to an e-mail asking about the university’s position on the aftermath of the 1968 events. Those events, like the current protest, “sparked a huge surge in student activism across the country,” Mark Rudd, a protest leader, said in an email to The Associated Press. “I and others spent the entire year after April 1968 traveling around the country spreading the spirit of Colombia on campuses.”
Not everyone supports the protests
But the echoes of the past should not only an inspiration. Then, as now, the protest had its detractors. Naison said the disruption to campus life and law and order has angered many individuals at Columbia and beyond.
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“Student protesters are not popular in the United States,” he said. “We weren’t popular in the 1960s. We have achieved a huge amount. But we also helped move the country to the right.”
This is now having repercussions amongst those critical of the protests, who’re decrying what they see as a descent into anti-Semitism. Some Jewish students said they felt targeted due to their identity and were afraid to be on campus, and university presidents got here under political pressure to make use of other methods, corresponding to police intervention.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik had just testified before a congressional panel investigating concerns about anti-Semitism at elite schools when the camp began. Even though she demanded police motion the next day due to what she called a “harassing and intimidating environment,” congressional Republicans called on her to resign.
“Freedom of speech is very important, but it does not go beyond the right to be safe,” said Itai Dreifuss, 25, a third-year student who grew up in the United States and Israel. He was near the camp last week, standing in front of posters taped to the wall depicting people taken hostage by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the current conflagration.
Naison said the feeling amongst some students that there may be personal animosity against them is the difference between 1968 and today. The conflict between demonstrators and their condemners “is much more emotional,” Naison says, which he says makes this an excellent more tense time.
“It’s history repeating itself, but it’s also uncharted territory,” he said. “Here we have a whole group of people who see these protests as a natural extension of the fight for justice, and a whole other group of people who see this as a deadly attack on themselves, on their history and tradition. And this makes management very difficult for university authorities.”
Education
Mississippi College changes name and eliminates football program
Mississippi College embraces its Christian ideology with a name change.
Mississippi College, a non-public institution, is changing its name to Mississippi Christian College. The decision was approved by the Mississippi Board of Supervisors on November 18.
The university can be eliminating its Division 1 football team in an effort to prioritize academic offerings. In an announcement, the university cited the upcoming bicentenary because the inspiration for the changes.
Mississippi Christian College wants to construct on its Christian ideology, in line with President Bake Thompson.
“These transformational and necessary changes are critically important to the future of this institution. As we look ahead to the institution’s bicentennial in 2026, we want to ensure that MC is a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to Christ for another 200 years.”
The college is rededicated to making a space where Christian education stays a priority.
“The institution may even undergo restructuring. A brand new structure will likely be introduced, which can mix the College of Christianity and Art with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the College of Pedagogy will change its name to the College of Pedagogy and Human Sciences. The chancellor was charged with evaluating the potential consolidation of a limited number of educational departments on campus.
Mississippi Christian Athletic Director Kenny Bizott reaffirmed his commitment to former student-athletes.
“We will support our current student-athletes who wish to continue their education at MC, as well as those who wish to transfer,” Bizott added.
Many may view these changes as extreme, but Mississippi Christian believes that every latest organizational change will help the institution fulfill its core functions.
Another Mississippi institution can be within the news for its failures on the legislative level. reported the Mississippi State Senate no payment Legislative Services Office (LSO) attorney Kristie Metcalfe is paid commensurate along with her peers.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi LSO on Metcalfe’s behalf. An office investigation found that Metcalfe was earning half the salary of white LSO lawyers. The investigation also found that Metcalfe is the one non-white worker employed within the office’s 34 years of operation. Race discrimination violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Education
Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries, including Toni Morrison, Richard Wright and Maya Angelou
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” “Forever” by Judi Blume. “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut.
According to the newest information, all of them have been withdrawn from the shelves of some Florida schools list developed by the Florida Department of Education and containing books removed by local school districts.
Recent changes in state law have made it possible for fogeys and residents to take this motion challenge books to school libraries and required districts to submit an annual report to the state detailing which books were restricted of their schools. Florida continues to steer the nation in withdrawing books from school libraries, in accordance with an evaluation by the American Library Association and the advocacy group PEN America.
“Restricting access means limiting the freedom to read,” said Kasey Meehan of PEN America. “Students are losing the opportunity to access books that reflect their own life experiences, to access books that help them learn and to empathize with people who… have different life experiences.”
The list, published for the 2023-2024 school yr, includes titles by American literary icons similar to Maya Angelou, Flannery O’Connor and Richard Wright, in addition to books which have turn into top targets for censorship across the country as a consequence of LGBTQ+ characters, discussions about gender and sexuality and descriptions of sexual encounters, e.g. “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson and “Gender Queer” by Maja Kobabe. Supporters of conservatism have described such content as “pornographic.”
The list of books removed from libraries also includes Holocaust accounts similar to “The Diary of Anne Frank: A Graphic Adaptation” and “Sophie’s Choice.” It’s an analogous story with the graphic novel, an adaptation of “1984,” George Orwell’s groundbreaking work on censorship and surveillance.
“Everywhere from Toni Morrison to Alice Walker to Slaughterhouse-Five to George Orwell,” said Stephana Farrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which tracks book challenges within the state. “If you take the time to look through this list, you will see that there is a problem with… this movement.”
In an announcement to the Associated Press, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Education maintained that no books have been banned in Florida and defended the state’s efforts to remove “sexually explicit material” from schools.
“Once again, far-left activists are promoting the book ban scam to Floridians. “The better question is why these activists continue to fight to expose children to sexually explicit material,” spokeswoman Sydney Booker said.
The list shows that the number of book withdrawals varies widely across the state, with some districts reporting no restrictions and others reporting hundreds of titles pulled from shelves. Farrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project said that based on the group’s evaluation of public records, the department’s report is an undercount since it doesn’t include books removed in consequence of an internal staff review, only those withdrawn in consequence of a grievance filed by a parent or resident.
Farrell believes that almost all Florida parents want their children to have broad access to literature.
“We live in a country where parental rights should be recognized, heard and taken into account,” Farrell said. “We are asking for accountability and an accurate record of the impact of these laws on our children and what is available to them.”
Schools have restricted access to dozens of books by Stephen King, a master of the horror genre known for bestsellers similar to “It” and “Pet Sematary.” Clay County officials also found his book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” inappropriate for college kids.
King, who spends part of the yr in Florida, talked about attempting to get his books out of students’ hands, urging readers to run to the closest library or bookstore.
“What the hell?” In August, King posted on social media reacting to the choice of some Florida schools to drag his books from shelves.
Multiple school districts in Florida have filed legal challenges for restricting students’ access to books, including Escambia County, which is being sued by PEN America and Random penguin housethe biggest publisher within the country.
Nassau County School District in September settled lawsuit brought by the authors of “And Tango Makes Three,” an image book based on the true story of two male penguins who raised a chick together at New York’s Central Park Zoo. Under the terms of the settlement, the district needed to return three dozen books to the shelves.
Education
Issa Rae meets with Georgia law students
Rae will speak to students about legal issues related to her success.
Georgia State University College of Law announced that Issa Rae will meet with students to debate the legal elements of her successful profession as a part of the course “The Legal Life of Issa Rae.”
On November 7, the producer-actress will hold a hearing at Rialto Art Center. The visit is the culmination of a course exploring Rae’s decades-long profession within the entertainment industry. Rae’s profession provides a wealth of legal diversity to explore as her profession extends beyond visual entertainment.
The classes are held as a part of the “Legal Life…” series. The series was created by George State University law professor Moraima “Mo” Ivory.
As a professor at Georgia State College of Law, Ivory curated a series that examined the legality of maintaining a prestigious profession. As reported, Rae is a course subject this semester BLACK ENTERPRISES.
The creator’s team worked with Ivory to take an in depth take a look at the contracts that helped Rae secure her deals.
“With the support of her team, we will also have the unique opportunity to analyze her real-world deals and discuss how her approach to deals is shaping today’s entertainment landscape. We are incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity,” Ivory told .
It was classy access for 10 years value of contractual agreements to be analyzed.
“This is the first class where every contract was an actual contract with the artist,” Ivory said. “Students can see how real deals actually happen and what real entertainment lawyer Issa Rae has been doing over the last 10 years.”
Ivory, a professor and Fulton County commissioner, believes that the language of the law is vital and that the power to see the language in connection with a noteworthy product allows students to beat the barrier of unfamiliarity.
“You have to look at what people are actually doing and what is happening at the moment. The more familiar they become with the language, the faster they will be able to master it and start representing clients.”
According to Ivory, Rae’s family and business partners were instrumental in checking out the complicated details of her business. The course was attended by “Rae’s mother, siblings, network executives and members of her staff.”
The longtime artist began her profession on YouTube with “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” The show’s success led to a collaboration with host Larry Wilmore and a multi-show deal with HBO. Outside of television, Rae is a successful actress and producer of many shows including (2022). She also created her own media company HooRae media and music label Raedio.
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