Columbia’s pain & its protests: Reuniting a campus community that’s been split

Wednesday was my last class this semester teaching at Columbia University, and I witnessed our campus disruption firsthand. The president of Columbia and university presidents across New York, around the U.S. and globally have a daunting challenge. They need to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and administrators on campus while also preserving free speech.

Of course, free speech should not include the right to expound hate speech whether it targets individuals based on their race, gender or ethnicity, or disrupts safety on campus. Clearly the rhetoric and actions on campus need to be dialed down, and external forces discouraged from involvement in campus life, leaving the key task of restoration of order to the college and university community. This will be difficult but it is not beyond our ability to achieve

This is hardly the first time a large-scale dispute has led to campus disruption. When I began my public service career working for Mayor John Lindsay in 1969, campus disruption due to the Vietnam War and the civil rights struggle was common and while things were contentious, we managed to get through the challenge and bring forces with differing views together recognizing that people can have different views but they need to be respectful of those on the other side.

As a member of the Board of Trustees at the State University of New York I know firsthand that our education institutions have the ability to respectfully manage differences of opinion, in the public interest. However they can’t do this alone. They need and must have the full support of the community.

Having the speaker of the House of Representatives on Columbia’s campus, calling for the resignation of Columbia’s president, who has been acting in good faith, may be good political theater, and appeal to some political forces but it is hardly helpful to the Columbia or New York community.

More than a half century since a Columbia campus disruption was front page news, there have been other events that led to demonstrations on college campuses. And hopefully we have learned and will continue to learn, some lessons that can be applied in our behavior going forward

First and foremost is to make sure that all demonstrations on college campuses are peaceful and respectful. This is nonnegotiable. That means that any and all hate speech is totally unacceptable, and that means antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism or sexism can’t be tolerated and violence of any kind is equally unacceptable.

Everyone in the college community needs to feel safe. If that means restricting access to campus only to students, faculty and administrators, it may be a necessary requirement and may need to be enforced. To accomplish this goal all postsecondary institutions from the top on down, need to engage all their key stakeholders in a collaborative effort to make things work out successfully.

And surrounding communities need to be equally supportive as well. Our colleges and universities are integral parts of our communities and they can’t be maligned. They must be a part of the solution to this crisis.

We are approaching college graduation season, something those involved will remember for decades, and all students and their families have a right to expect that they can celebrate student achievement in an appropriate, and peaceful fashion without any fear. For those who incorrectly opine that “college doesn’t matter” this season’s graduates know that is not true.

College matters now more than ever. And it is the responsibility of all of us to guarantee their success. Let’s all get together and make sure that graduations are what students and their families expect and deserve. Our higher education institutions are critical to the functioning of society and they must be respected and supported. Despite and perhaps because of differences. And not just by some, by all.

Any undermining of the importance of equitable and effective education is a huge mistake. As we move collectively to address the challenge before us let’s not undermine the postsecondary institutions that are critical to economic and social stability and improvement

Having different views about politics is built into New Yorkers’ DNA. But if New York reinforces and supports efforts to bring civility into the way in which our colleges and universities deal with the current political landscape, as has been the case with so many other issues, New York can and will be the model for communities across the nation and around the world. This is not an opportunity to divide. This is an opportunity to get together. To dial down the rhetoric and support our community.

Litow is professor of the practice at Duke University.