LETTER: How to regain control over campus protests

I attended a liberal East Coast college and a liberal Midwestern university. Students at both schools expressed heated opinions concerning Gaza issues without violence or blocking students or speakers from expressing their opinions or attending classes. There was no harassment, on or off campus. Regrettably, though, the prestigious East Coast Ivies and some West Coast universities were not similar. Instead, students harassed, heckled and booed speakers off stage, and prevented students from attending classes, often violently. The press reveled in showing these scenes on video and reporting about them in print.

Attempts, often trivial, to stop this behavior were met with more violence. Protesters occupied campus facilities and grounds, justifying their actions by invoking their First Amendment rights. This, in fact, is very incorrect. Free speech does not permit active violence, harassment, the denial of others’ free-speech rights or denial of service.

The solution appears quite simple to me: Immediately expel the violent offenders, which means loss of visa for cases in which that’s applicable. Warn the first offenders if no violence is performed, and expel second offenders. The targeted students have more constitutional rights than the violent offenders. Then, perhaps the stated goal of the Ivies of open dialogue, promoting freedom of expression and allowing safe passage will become action, not empty words.

It is far past time for the Ivies to act responsibly to protect their students and reputations.