As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, students find it hard to freely express opinions as universities shut down groups due to political tensions and accusations of antisemitism.

John Ocampo, an undergrad at Florida State University, was part of Students for Justice in Palestine on campus, which no longer exists. He explained they faced challenges even before Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state system got involved.

He pointed out the group was not registered due to students being "doxed" on sites targeting people seen as anti-Israel or anti-Jewish.

"My email has been hacked, my CashApp, my WhatsApp, everything," Ocampo recounted. "That's what really discouraged people from continuing this, because our personal social medias, our personal lives, and even our bank accounts are all at risk."

Ocampo noted students pushing for peace or advocating for a ceasefire were unfairly labeled as "antisemitic." He highlights the case of Students for a Democratic Society, suspended after members chanted pro-Palestinian slogans at a Board of Trustees meeting in November. The university said it supports rigorous debate and assembly but students may not disrupt university business.

Will Hanley, associate professor of history at Florida State, said the clampdown affects both student organizations and his teaching of Middle Eastern History.

"I feel really restricted in what I can do," Hanley explained. "I certainly don't feel like I can organize talks or discussions where students will feel safe exploring ideas."

Hanley urged state education officials to foster environments where students can freely debate, make mistakes and engage in learning from diverse perspectives, regardless of agreement.

This week, University of South Florida students launched a hunger strike to protest the school's alleged investments in pro-Israel companies, a claim the university denies. Initially planned by Students for Socialism, the effort faced a cease-and-desist letter from university officials. So students came together with no affiliation to any campus group to hold the strike.

Ocampo acknowledged it is challenging to organize under such conditions.

"There's no set meeting space," Ocampo pointed out. "The places that you're at are not ideal, and it doesn't seem like it's a huge deal, but it really starts to fracture the organizing over time."

Students for Justice in Palestine on two Florida campuses have filed lawsuits after their closure. However, a federal judge denied injunctions on First Amendment grounds, stating students had not demonstrated chilled speech or imminent punishment. The legal challenges are ongoing.

Despite pushback from the Trump administration on colleges and universities recruiting foreign students, the University of Northern Iowa is part of a new exchange program.

The school is partnering with a university in Thailand to allow students to earn international business degrees, through its "2+2" business degree partnership program. Students from Assumption University in Thailand can take two years of classes at home and finish their international business degree at Northern Iowa's Wilson College of Business in Cedar Falls.

Chris Schrage, global opportunities coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa, said the opportunities run the gamut.

"Accounting, finance, management, marketing, supply chain," Schrage outlined. "All of our majors are aligned with their majors."

Schrage pointed out the "2+2" program is largely self-funded by students and private donors, which should allow the university to sidestep the controversy over international students in the U.S.

Beyond earning educational credentials, Schrage noted the program also takes cultural differences into account, helping students become better employees for international companies after they graduate.

"Understanding how both sides do business will help build the trust and know what steps to take in both situations," Schrage emphasized.

Northern Iowa is in the process of recruiting students now and Schrage added they hope to have Thai students on the Cedar Falls campus next year.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Today's college students may prefer communicating by text but New Mexico State University still finds person-to-person phone calls from faculty and staff effective at getting them to stay in school.

The "Calling All Aggies" campaign is a campuswide initiative which began in 2007 to improve student retention and graduation.

Freddie Romero, academic adviser at New Mexico State University, said first- or second-year students can worry a four-year degree will prove too difficult but a phone call from the right person or department can help.

"Sometimes the problems that students are dealing with require a more thorough conversation," Romero explained. "Today's economy and everything that students have to juggle, with the price of school and having to do jobs and take care of family members, it's hard."

Nationwide, the pandemic had a significant effect on college student retention, especially particularly among first-time freshmen and community college students. In the fall of 2023, the school's first-year retention rate increased to almost 75%, a more than a 2% jump from the previous year and near the highest level reached before the pandemic.

A second outreach program watches for signs of academic distress based on grades among freshman and sophomore students when they are six weeks into a semester. Romero pointed out early intervention can help catch what could become a serious issue, which ultimately affects a scholarship or student aid and prevents a promising student from enrolling the next semester.

"If somebody gets to that junior, senior year and they're considering stopping out it's a bummer, because they've already invested so much money and time here," Romero emphasized. "We know that when they do graduate with their degree their prospects for work and for advancement up the socioeconomic ladder is going to be a lot easier."

The program has been recognized with an innovation award by the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education. This year's campaign begins May 15.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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It has been a busy week for supporters of higher education in Illinois, with two separate protests at Northern Illinois University and Northeastern Illinois University.

More than 100 students and faculty members rallied Tuesday at Chicago's Northeastern Illinois campus in support of the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act. Students spoke about the importance of higher-ed funding, particularly for diverse campuses serving many low-income and first-generation students.

Brandon Bisbey, assistant professor of Spanish at Northeastern Illinois, said the bill would help to address the university's underfunding challenges. He pointed out state appropriations cover about 30% of their budget.

"It costs more money to serve students whose social identities have these different aspects that affect their experience," Bisbey pointed out. "This is something that we struggle with at Northeastern, because we just do not have the resources to give all the students all the resources that they need."

He noted the school has been forced to continue to increase tuition to keep up with the disinvestment in higher education, and said fair funding is even more critical in light of the Trump administration's attacks on university funding and academic freedom.

On Wednesday, Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., joined nearly 250 demonstrators on Northern Illinois' DeKalb campus. They rallied against the Trump administration's decision to revoke visas of at least five of the school's international students.

Mark Van Wienen, professor of English at Northern Illinois, said international students, faculty and staff received legal advice not to attend the rally due to potential threats from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He observed it all speaks to the idea freedoms of assembly and speech should in some way be curbed in the U.S.

"That there should be a line drawn between international colleagues and international students, who are here as our invited guests, brings just sadness and a sense of determination," Van Wienen emphasized. "This is not what the United States is fundamentally about."

Van Wienen, along with organizers, encouraged the demonstrators to reach out to their elected officials to oppose executive orders threatening constitutional rights and the well-being of international community members and the university.

"We need to stand up now in support of them and we need to stand up now for the support of our rights," Van Wienen urged. "Because if we don't now, and we don't continuously, those rights are at grave risk."


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