This has been a challenging year on many college and university campuses. The devastating events in Israel and Gaza have generated strong and varied reactions among students, faculty, staff, and alumni of every college. The enormous political pressure that has been directed towards colleges, and college and university leaders, has made it difficult for some to avoid playing into damaging narratives about woke campuses and out-of-control students created by those who seek to undermine higher education.
Media accounts tend to view the situation through a binary lens in which groups are pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, but on Carleton’s campus there are a range of views along a broad spectrum. While grief and horror at the ongoing violence is widely shared, Jewish community members vary in their stances on Israel and its actions, Muslim and pro-Palestine community members differ in their levels of support for various modes of activism, and many on campus have been grappling with the history and background of these events for the first time in the months since October 7. We have been reacting to events and learning together in real time.
If you haven’t seen much in the way of public statements from the College about the crisis, that is because we feel our best approach is to focus our energies on internal conversations and programs. I have written several columns in Carleton’s weekly campus newsletter about the campus response to the war. Our faculty members have played a central role in organizing discussions and lectures to help educate the community about the relevant historical, cultural, and political context. Shortly after the October 7 attack, faculty from Middle East Studies, Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Political Science, Arabic, Religion, and History presented a panel discussion in a packed lecture hall that was a valuable model of collegial dialogue across differing viewpoints. The office of Inclusion, Equity, and Community hosted a series of presentations and moderated discussions called Voices of Israel and Palestine with The Parents Circle, a group which includes both Israelis and Palestinians who have lost family members to the conflict. Chaplain Schuyler Vogel has worked with our Jewish and Muslim associate chaplains to support campus faith communities and stay in touch with their challenges and experiences. Our priority has been to support the free expression of views, and continuing education and dialogue among members of the community.
Student groups have organized discussions, bake sales, and other fundraising events in addition to rallies and protests. Like many campuses, we saw an encampment late in the spring term. The protests on campus have been active and heartfelt, but while there have naturally been moments of tension, as of this writing we have managed to avoid the kinds of conflicts and confrontations that other campuses have experienced. We in the administration have encouraged student leaders with opposing views to communicate with each other about their plans and concerns, in a few instances hosting conversations to bring small groups together to eat and talk. We have all made a point of staying in touch with individual students who are deeply engaged or affected. I have found that casual conversations over dinner, coffee, at Shabbat, or during a Ramadan iftar have been a good way to learn about the range of student experiences and perceptions.
As many Carleton alumni may recall from their own time here, when students feel strongly about an issue, they look for ways to effect change. The College is their home, so it makes sense that they would direct much of their energy here. While firmly supporting their expression of views on campus, we have also tried to encourage students to direct some of their activism towards the political bodies who are in a position to make the changes they seek. I am proud that our students are deeply caring, actively engaged, and eager to create a just and peaceful world. I hope that their experiences here at Carleton are good preparation for a life of meaningful citizenship and social impact in the future.
—Alison Byerly