The State University of New York is prepared for any protests tied to the war in Gaza during the fall semester. Rules are in place to deal with protests like those that boiled over on college campuses across the country last year.
There were sporadic protests on campuses across the sprawling SUNY system last year, and some criticism of its response to activists, which included arrests of students at campuses including New Paltz, Purchase, and Stony Brook. Chancellor John King said going forward, communicating SUNY’s policy about protests and encampments will be key to ensuring things don’t get out of hand.
"We're doing a lot to make sure that as students come to campus they're reminded of our content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions, the rules around protesting, when it can happen, where it can happen, so that students are able to express their views but do so in a way that is safe and respectful of their peers," King said.
King said there has been training for faculty and staff about Title Six, which is the Civil Rights law, that protects against any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity. There will also be stepped-up security at times when needed during Jewish services on campuses, especially near the October 7th anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. King said ultimately, hatred, harassment, and antisemitism, will not be tolerated on any campus.
"We at SUNY have tried to prioritize healthy civil discourse and we have also been very clear that we're going to enforce our rules and sometimes that has meant difficult moments on campuses," King said. "But we're gonna keep doing everything we can to keep our students safe."
