Nick Arama writes at RedState.com about potential consequences for students who want to camp out for the anti-Israel cause at one major public university.
We’ve seen a lot of craziness with the unhinged protests about Gaza from leftists at campuses across the country, including at NYU, Columbia, and other institutions.
This Occupy 2.0 effort has seen antisemitic harassment, violence, and even protesters attacking and chasing the police. …
… Part of the problem here has been the failure of university administrations to properly deal with these radical protests.
But at least one university seems to be getting it right: the University of Florida. …
… While the rules allowed “speech, expressing viewpoints and holding signs in hands,” it forbade any encampment, not to mention a bunch of other things– including no amplified sounds, protests inside buildings, littering, camping, sleeping, unmanned signs, blocking egress, building structures including tents, tables, benches, threats, violence, weapons.
The kicker was the “Consequences for Non-Compliance.” If you engage in prohibited activities, you will be considered to have “trespassed.” It reads: “Students will receive a 3 year tresspass and suspension. Employees will be trespassed and separated from employment.” …
… So that sounds like the school intends to employ real consequences for bad actions. As a result, the reports from Florida are that so far the students are cooperating with police.
Former Republican senator Ben Sasse is the president of the University, and that may have something to do with this response.
Most wouldn’t risk getting banished from the school or lose their jobs, so if you hold fast, you’ll lose the shallow sheep in this effort when they can’t just throw their tantrums. It was the crimes and the consequences, plus the failure to get what they wanted that ultimately did in Occupy–and that’s what needs to happen here.