Suspend the campers

The Stanford administration must strengthen its shaky backbone, formulate clear rules for protesters and immediately expel those who do not comply.

Free expression on college campuses, mirroring a bedrock The American principle is a wonderful thing. The anti-Israel camps that exist germinated At dozens of American universities, on the other hand, are simply inglorious. When participants abuse the First Amendment to defend their right to seize parts of campus, they humiliate both themselves and the professors who should have taught them better.

Such is the case at Stanford, where a cadre of overgrown kids have taken over White Plaza—the school set “Free Speech Zone” – to protest Israel’s efforts destroy a murderous terrorist organization. After the camp was formed on April 25, interim president appointed Richard Saller informed the petulant demonstrators that “violations of university rules will not be overlooked.” Like that? Camping in the White Plaza “can be punished with sanctions up to and including suspension.” Translation: rule breaker could to get punished possibly be suspended.

One can be sure that after shaking in their boots, the protesters decided to stay where they were. Amazed, Stanford warned once again that the names of students occupying White Plaza will be forwarded to the Office of Community Standards (gasp) and “should be aware that suspension for one or more quarters is a possible outcome.” What are the other “possible outcomes”?

Suffice to say, the camp is still busy and not well – and the situation hasn’t exactly improved in the three weeks since Saller first threatened ambiguous disciplinary action. After five days the site was finished Visited by a man wearing a headband worn by the Hamas militants who slaughtered 1,143 Israelis on October 7. The university felt it was necessary to provide federal authorities with a picture of this blatant terrorist sympathizer, but not to dismantle the circus that attracted him.

That Stanford failed miserably to ban the camp should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with deterrence theory. The university has so far taken Inspiration from President Biden’s limp attempts to dissuade America’s adversaries from advancing. On April 12, the President delivered A simple message to Iran, which was preparing to attack Israel: “Don’t do it.” The next day, Iran fired Over 300 missiles and drones on Israeli territory. Biden’s warning, of course, failed spectacularly because it lacked a credible commitment. Deterrence cannot just be “don’t do it.” Instead it must be: “Don’t, or but.”

In 1982, James Q. Wilson, one of the few great social scientists, laid out the path for America to escape a crime wave. He explained his “broken window theory.” written down that “social psychologists and police officers believe that if one window in a building is broken and not repaired, all other windows will soon be broken.” Simply put: clutter begets more clutter. Punish lawlessness when it occurs on a small scale and the likelihood of future violations decreases.

Contrary to Wilson’s wisdom, Stanford’s plan for his camp is to wait until summer break and let the troublemakers go home. This plan will backfire. If the university allows a group of students to take over a portion of campus without significant punishment, what’s to stop them from setting up their tents again in September? Even if the war in Gaza ends by the fall, the underlying dilemma will not be resolved. There will inevitably be another social justice concern. Hence there will be another tantrum.

College campers like to compare themselves to the civil rights activists of the 1950s and ’60s. My goodness. Rosa Parks never tried to negotiate an amnesty deal for her disobedience with the city of Montgomery. Today’s protesters are desperate to gain immunity for their misconduct, as the stupidities at Harvard prove act to reinstate suspended students in exchange for demolishing their camp. This surrender demonstrated that the top priority for supposedly selfless Crusaders is keeping their graduation plans on track.

Should Stanford want to avert an endless series of arguments on campus, the University of Florida has a handbook available. Its president, former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, has decided that his college, unlike Stanford, is “not a daycare center.” Florida notified his anti-Israel protesters: They are empowered by the First Amendment to speak freely. However, you are not authorized to consider this university as your personal campsite. Students who do so will be expelled from campus and “will be subject to a three-year misdemeanor and suspension.”

When actor Ronald Reagan entered politics in 1964, he was observed that “there are no easy answers, but there are simple answers.” Correct. The simple answer to Stanford’s storage problem is as follows: If students do not follow the university’s rules despite explicit warnings, suspend her. The classes from 2025 will thank us in due course.