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Dear friends of VTIPG and the Community Change Collaborative,
We share five articles each week that we find timely and meaningful that address significant concerns related to the state of our democracy and civil society. We aim to offer pieces that illuminate a wide array of dimensions of our country's policy and governance challenges and the state of social norms that sustain the possibility of addressing them successfully. Please note, the views expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of VTIPG faculty or staff or of Virginia Tech. We also upload these articles and stories to our website. You may find the archive for this series at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu. Thank you to Community-Based Research Manager Lara Nagle for suggesting an article for this week's edition.
Given the ongoing campus protests regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict occurring at universities across the country, Five Pieces this week focuses on those events.
If you would like to suggest an article for consideration in the future, please contact the editor at the address below.
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Our first piece this week, from Cardinal News, recaps the protest and 82 arrests that occurred at Virginia Tech this past weekend.
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Our second selection, from CNN, describes how universities across the country are handling protests on their campuses.
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A third story, from Vox, provides an overview how today's protests compare to those against the Vietnam War and South African apartheid that occurred in the 1960s and 1980s, respectively.
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Our fourth article, from NPR, is an interview with Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), in which he criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments on the protests.
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Last, we feature a story from The Guardian that discussed how the protests might affect President Joe Biden's prospects for reelection.
Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives they offer encourage reflection and conversation!
Best wishes,
Billy Parvatam
VTIPG Communications Coordinator
pbilly97@vt.edu.
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Photo: Police responded April 28 to the site of the multi-day pro-Palestine encampment on the Virginia Tech campus. Credit to Justin Fleenor. |
82 people arrested at Virginia Tech encampment, university says
This article, by Lisa Rowan of Cardinal News, described the pro-Palestinian encampment protest that took place on Virginia Tech's campus this week in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the decision by University leaders to ask the police to clear the group from the site last Sunday evening. The resulting 82 arrests, which included 53 students, represented the highest such total since May 12, 1970, when 107 students protesting the Vietnam War and Kent State shooting were arrested after occupying Williams Hall.
Rowan, L. (2024, April 30). "82 people arrested at Virginia Tech encampment, university says". Cardinal News. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/04/29/91-people-arrested-at-virginia-tech-encampment-university-says/
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Photo: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators face off with state officers at the University of Texas at Austin. Credit to CNN. | |
How universities are cracking down on a swell of tension months into student protests over Israel's bombardment of Gaza
This story by Dakin Andone detailed how a number of have responded to student protests concerning the conflict and humanitarian crisis occurring in Gaza. Some colleges have employed law enforcement, academic suspensions, and in some cases, expulsion, to address the protests. Despite these actions, many students have proven willing to accept the consequences of their choices, believing that their universities' reliance on the police to end their efforts represents an unwillingness to engage meaningfully with their demands.
Andone, D. (2024, April 29). "How universities are cracking down on a swell of tension months into student protests over Israel’s bombardment of Gaza." CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/28/us/student-protests-universities-israel-gaza/index.html
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Photo: George Washington University students camp out on campus to demand that their university divest from Israel and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, on April 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Credit to Vox. | |
How today's antiwar protests stack up against major student movements in history
This piece by Vox reporter Nicole Narea examined the current college campus protests against the war in Gaza and compared them to similar past events, including those against the Vietnam War and South African apartheid. She found that today's demonstrations are similar to previous events in that in some cases, university administrators have asked police to break them up. In addition, today’s protestors, like their predecessors in decades past, are calling on their schools to divest funds from the countries whose behavior they abhor. Narea also concluded that today's events have been smaller in size than those of the 1960s and 1980s and that current university leaders have generally acted more swiftly to end them on grounds of public safety.
Narea, N. (2024, April 27). "How today’s antiwar protests stack up against major student movements in history." Vox. https://www.vox.com/politics/24141636/campus-protest-columbia-israel-kent-state-history
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Photo: Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT). Credit to NPR. | |
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Bernie Sanders says Netanyahu is attacking campus protests to deflect war criticism
This story by Detrow and Raney at NPR reported on Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT)'s continued critique of the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during that nation's ongoing war in Gaza. Sanders has called for the U.S. to end financial and military support for Israel on the grounds that its military actions have led to the deaths of thousands of innocents. Sanders has argued forcefully that calling on Israel to protect the human rights of Palestinians is not antisemitic.
Detrow, S., Levitt, M., & Raney, A. (2024, April 27). "Bernie Sanders says Netanyahu is attacking campus protests to deflect war criticism." NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/27/1247670359/bernie-sanders-netanyahu-gaza-college-protests-antisemitism?ft=nprml&f=1205445976
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Photo: President Joe Biden. Credit to The Guardian. | |
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What do the US campus protests mean for Joe Biden in November?
In this article from The Guardian Adam Gabbatt analyzes how the Biden administration's support for Israel, while also seeking to address the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza in a variety of ways, could affect his standing with young voters. Already, thousands of voters in swing states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, have voted "uninstructed" and "uncommitted" in the Democratic party primaries in those states to protest the administration’s stance. Gabbatt contends that while these protestors are unlikely to vote for Trump, the bigger danger lies with them not voting at all, which could swing the election in states that may already be decided by razor-thin margins.
Gabbatt, A. (2024, May 1). "What do the US campus protests mean for Joe Biden in November?" The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/may/01/university-protests-presidential-election-biden-youth-vote
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