We’re told the voices of this generation matter for we are the future or at least that’s what adults try to make us believe. But is that only true for when our voices agree with the beliefs of those in a higher position. At least it is when it comes to the current college system against all of the current protesting on campus. But where did this all begin? The current state of the on campus protesting started when Asna Tabassum the valedictorian for the 2024 graduating class at University of Southern California spoke out in support of Palenstine. However USC, who found a problem with this, took action against Tabassum and isn’t allowing her to speak at the 2024 graduation ceremony due to “security concerns”.
Upsetting multiple students on campus, protesting began in support of not only the student but Palenstine as USC has been found giving support towards Israel. But at the end of April protesting took a bigger hit at University campuses in California like UCLA whose students have begun protesting on their own. The last week of April administrators at USC announced the graduation ceremony for all students was to be canceled affecting students across the board. Students were said to be overreacting to the situation but why is it when a student voices an opinion the school system shuts them down? And not only shuts them down but silences them with consequences not warranted towards the situation. These universities aren’t trying to help the problem but instead are only fueling things to make it worse.
Now students at both USC, UCLA, and even Columbia have been doing encampment protests on the school’s campuses. Some of these universities are threatening students’ education while others are trying to find more approachable solutions. However it’s clear to students and protesters that these schools don’t want to be held accountable for the “outbursts” on campus from students. But perhaps maybe administrators at these institutions should look back and reflect on why all of this is happening. And it all started by silencing the voice of one student for an opinion the school didn’t share. When looking back at where all of the frustration of students stemmed, the university’s at fault for all of the chaos that were to ensue on their campuses. And perhaps they need to reevaluate the decisions they chose prior in order to prevent something like this from happening again.
