In the wake of heightened tensions surrounding the escalating crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, hundreds of campuses across the United States have dominated headlines as they become battlegrounds for impassioned debate, protest, and activism.
In contrast to these protests, the atmosphere at St. Ambrose University stands noticeably peaceful. Here, at our private, Catholic institution, activism for the Middle East appears muted, if not entirely absent.
Nuria Montouto, an SAU international student from Madrid, Spain, said, “I don’t feel like our campus is very involved with this issue…there hasn’t been much talk about it, but I also understand that it is a difficult situation to address, and that there are many factors involved.”
Similarly, Blake Bohon, a junior at SAU, expressed his wish for more activism on campus calling for peace, stating, “I have my opinion on the matter, but it rarely comes up as a subject in conversations.”
Their sentiments capture what many students say they are feeling at St. Ambrose. While the conflict thousands of miles away captures global attention, it may not be resonating within our academic community.
However, other universities with larger student populations have not been immune to the debates surrounding this conflict. Recent months have seen protests erupting on campuses nationwide, leading to clashes, disruptions, and even administrative repercussions.
Administrators have faced pressure to take a stance on the conflict as protests grow. In some cases, university leaders have found themselves struggling to balance principles of free speech and academic freedom with concerns over campus safety.
Dr. Amy Novak, President of St. Ambrose University, says our campus has no issues to date but will continue to work with students on a myriad of complex issues and monitor the situations as they evolve.
Recent developments of growing unrest have led to the resignation of two Ivy League presidents– Claudine Gay at Harvard University and Liz Magill at the University of Pennsylvania – which shows the difficult position that university administrators find themselves in when dealing with politically charged issues.
Dr. Novak commented, “We encourage students to wrestle with complex issues, consider how they feel called to respond, and to advocate for positions that they believe are just and appropriate.
“All of us should enter conversations of this complexity with humility, appreciating there may be a myriad of perspectives and that we could learn from one another in these situations…However, we also have boundaries for what people cannot do as it relates to questions of freedom of speech or protest.”
Amid this discussion, the perspective of Benny Zarhin, an Israeli student at St. Ambrose University, offers a reminder of the human cost of war. Having witnessed loss and turmoil firsthand, Benny says he eagerly awaits the campus’s response to the conflict.
“The talks I’ve had with people about this are not just political but also deeply personal, and many friends have offered me support through my losses.”
Dr. Duk Kim, the Director of International Studies at SAU, highlighted how important it is for academic institutions like SAU to play a role in encouraging respectful debate and promoting peaceful conflict resolution, particularly given the sensitive nature of the topic, “In my International Relations class, we’ve had valuable opportunities to dive into the history of Israel and Palestine’s ongoing conflict, and openly discuss our concerns surrounding it.”
Marin Tadrus is a staff writer for The Buzz.
