If you had walked by the Eastman Quad on the first day of classes, you would have seen Palestinian flags covering the whole Quad, along with chalk on the ground that memorialized the number of Palestinians killed, children in Gaza unable to attend school, and slogans of “Free Palestine” to symbolize the tragedies that are occurring.
I left my class about 15 minutes early due to my on-campus job to give tours to prospective students on behalf of the Admissions Office. One prospective student’s parent was horrified by the sight. Indignantly, they asked how the protests affected our lives at the University. I explained to them that students are entitled to take part in them as long as they are peaceful without conveying hate speech or anti-Semitism. My response seemed to satisfy them, but once we returned to Wallis Hall, they lost their temper, yelling about how threatened they felt because of the flags and “graffiti,” and eventually stormed out of the building.
Later that same day, all the flags had disappeared, leaving only the chalk. “I have no information about when, how, or who removed them,” said Vice Provost and University Dean for Enrollment Management Robert Alexander.
Despite the flags being taken down, Alexander emphasized the University’s policies on acts of protest.
“The University has established and communicated clear guidelines about campus demonstrations and free speech. Those policies should help all of us to live our Meliora values, respect others’ ability to express their views, and maintain the ability for students, faculty, and staff to fulfill their purpose at the University.”
Editor’s Note 9/10/24: The story was edited to correct Robert Alexander’s title.
