Stop the volatile campus protests that are scaring students out of classrooms

Monday started off uneventfully at New York University, where I am a faculty member at the medical center.

Unlike many other major universities, New York University does not have a central campus. When it comes to that, unstable demo here columbia university And nationally, the lack of a central gathering point for encampments is a real advantage. Many New York University students consider Washington Square Park to be green, even though it is public property patrolled by police. Past dueling protests The park, home to Palestinians and Israelis, remained largely peaceful.

Unfortunately, during recent protests, the police have had to go to great lengths to maintain order and should be recognized for their efforts. The NYU administration should also be commended for quickly involving the police to keep students safe.Pro-Palestinian protests were held At Gold Plaza, outside the Stern School of Business, and was initially controlled by barricades. However, when they spread and become even more of a threat, reportedly The police intervened because it was instigated by professional agitators.

The right to protest is not an issue. The problem is when these protests create a threatening atmosphere, as at Columbia and Yale universities, which have increasingly large numbers of students. I don’t feel safe On campus. Columbia University suspended in-person classes on its main campus last Monday and transitioned to hybrid distance learning for the remainder of the semester later that week. It is a sad and alarming event.

At New York University, police locked down the campus. More than 100 people arrested A protester had a bottle thrown at him Monday night. Classes continued Tuesday morning, even though a group known as NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition led the rally. class strike It completely ignores the quality of education students are receiving. Despite police intervention, students desperate to learn are now afraid to go to class.

Still, for now, classes are being held in public and in-person, with protests and arrests spreading to universities across the country, which is commendable.

NYU has made ongoing attempts to center the conversation and move it away from hate and intimidation.President Linda Mills continued to properly open the Tel Aviv campus against many protests. This allows students to learn from the realities of wartime life, which is fundamental to education. New York University also Anti-Semitism Research Center This year aims to study the causes and manifestations of this hatred and other forms of prejudice. This is extremely important, and New York University is well-positioned to accomplish this because of its Department of Religious Studies and History. The first director was Abinoam Pata prominent scholar of the Holocaust and Israel.

mills have tools I earned a law degree, a doctorate in health policy, and a degree in social work to prepare me for these challenging times. Her career as a film director is also relevant, especially her first moving film, which followed in the footsteps of her family fleeing the Holocaust, and her award-winning film “lots of” depicts a rabbi and an imam working together to spread acceptance throughout a New York City community.

We certainly need that feeling and understanding right now.As Mills Said “Really, what is needed in this time is a sense of bringing our world back together,” he said at a conference at Hunter College last month, adding, “That path will take many of our hearts and minds.” , and it is necessary to open the ability to interact with each other. “

I grew up Jewish in New York City, and I don’t remember encountering this much anti-Semitism here or at Brown University, where I attended undergraduate school. This impulse toward criticism and dehumanization now seems to be proliferating, fueled by demagogues and reminiscent of other times in history and other countries such as the Soviet Union. We could definitely do better here. Our country was founded on the principle that we can and must do better.

Education is supposed to give us the tools to understand each other’s perspectives. Protests that spew hatred and dehumanize others are the opposite. We must resist now before it is too late and preserve our education system, even if it means using police and other law enforcement agencies to restore order. We also need the regional and national leadership that President Mills provides at NYU.

Dr. Mark Siegel is a professor of medicine at New York University Langone Health and medical director of Doctor Radio. He is a medical correspondent for Fox News and the author of the new book “Coronavirus.” The politics of fear and the power of science. ”