Universities, institutions where individuals attend to learn more about the societies we live in, have historically been hubs for student activism, and where mass movements have notoriously thrived. The Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements in the U.S. throughout the 60s and 70s have displayed student strength and resilience against adversity. Mobilization of these students has often led to widespread national shifts, such as the protests advocating for university divestment from South African activities throughout the anti-Apartheid movement. However, as universities increase their investments in political and economic engagements, students have faced backlashes against their institutions regarding one of their most fundamental rights—free speech. 

Common discourse surrounding student activism has tilted in one of two directions: 1) students have become more liberal now than they used to be, and 2) universities have more pushback now against student-led movements than they had in the past. Both of these statements have become overshadowed by the long history of success and accomplishment by university students, but fail to highlight the struggle that young adults have always stood against the system. Students have historically always been pushing for greater inclusivity, equality, and diversity, but only the most salient moments have been preserved and retold time and time again, giving the appearance of on-campus protests to be few and far between. In today’s digital era, when any grievance can warrant its own Instagram post, the visibility of student movements has become so saturated that the conservative narrative re-envisions the present day as overtly more liberal and progressive than ever before. 

Secondly, students have always faced pushback from their respective institutions with regard to progressive policy changes or advocating against the grain. The most notable student protests such as Tiananmen Square, the Civil Rights Movement, and the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, have glorified the success of student-led mobilization, but have resulted in a warped perspective on the relationship between students and their universities throughout history. Universities have consistently posed obstacles to the positive societal development that young activists strive towards, often preventing mainstream success or achievement. Today, this issue has become extremely prevalent due to the free speech infringements being placed upon students, particularly at Barnard College and Columbia University. 

Both in the U.S. and Canada, free speech is protected under the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It would seem obvious that students at centers of higher education are not only permitted but, more importantly, entitled to make their opinions heard. Within today’s sociopolitical climate, the genocide ensuing in Gaza has been the most pressing matter to students, with pro-Palestine activism advocating for a permanent ceasefire as well as institutional divestment from Israeli apartheid. Student pressure does not seem to prove powerful enough anymore to fight back against the universities themselves as they have begun to rewrite free speech policies and silence those who stray from their agendas. This steady erasure of student and faculty voices began immediately after the October 7 attacks, as Barnard’s Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies released a statement that was removed from the university’s administration undercounts of “impermissible political speech.” 

Since then, those at Barnard have had to tackle countless barriers from the university, including blatant overstepping of free speech rights, with a first-year student, who wished to stay anonymous due to safety concerns, at the university stating, “Students were only able to hold one organized protest on Barnard’s campus (due to the administration’s frequently changing and increasingly restrictive rules), which drew an unprecedented crowd and was accompanied by small groups of counter-protesters, a heavy police presence, and several drones flying over students’ heads. A steady and alarming dose of surveillance has permeated our community since then, with students being doxxed and being called in to speak to [or say, be interrogated by] our senior class dean.” 

Most recently at the Barnard campus, students have encountered new policies that prohibit them from hanging any and all adornments within the residences, including hallways and individual dormitory doors. Pro-Palestine students, who have expressed their solidarity by hanging signs or attaching stickers, witnessed and experienced their declarations stripped from their living spaces, introducing Barnard’s first large step into invading the student body’s private lives. The same student noted that, “[t]hose who do not comply with this rule receive emails urging them to respect the new and reactionary mandate, citing the administration’s commitment to ‘supporting and fostering the respect, empathy, and kindness that must guide all of our behaviour on campus.’” Tensions on campus between Palestine liberation groups and those who seek to suppress these voices have become prominent as the war ensues and demands for ceasefire grow stronger. Many students and faculty are also marginalized against their own classmates and colleagues who have sided with the administration to report students who violate their newfound guidelines or who simply express pro-Palestine sentiment—which is what has caused a movement towards silent solidarity, such as wearing keffiyehs and other accessories, distributing flyers, or utilizing social media. 

Not only at Barnard, but students everywhere have been pushed into a corner with regard to how they can express themselves on campus. Within the U.S., as the Republican-Democratic divide worsens, conservatives have advocated for an expansion of book bans or prohibited materials being taught in classrooms. Universities themselves, which are often intertwined within the greater socio-economic-political web, are some of the primary actors in the allocation of funds for military purposes—a pipeline for the mingling of U.S. universities with the government’s defence industry. Radhika Sainath, a staff attorney at a U.S.-based advocacy group, who spoke with NPR, discussed that while backlash is not something new to student activist groups, there has been an explosion of those seeking legal assistance for cases such as losing their job or experiencing threats after displaying solidarity with Palestine. Another student enrolled at Barnard College, who wished to remain anonymous as well, discussed her thoughts on the supposed reputation that the university emits as a liberal arts college in a progressive city saying “I feel fairly disgusted, especially as this institution claims to be liberal and progressive. Also, I’m a Jew and I came here for the Jewish community and to find it being so blatantly hateful and ignorant has been extremely disappointing. I thought that access to higher education would allow people to see other worldviews from their own, but I feel as though most people have just shut down any new thoughts or ideas.” 

While free speech is a given within the U.S. and Canada, there has been an influx of bills being proposed in the House securing First Amendment rights on university campuses. Titled the “Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act,” this bill is the first of many that are being pushed forward to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965. It would require both private and public universities within the U.S.—although it legally binds public universities under federal jurisdiction—to disclose their speech policies to students, faculty, and the Education Department every year. Refusal to follow through with its requirements would result in a loss of federal financial aid for one year, at public institutions. It also inhibits the schools from engaging directly in behaviours that limit or infringe upon student, faculty, and staff free speech rights. Interestingly, Republicans have been pressuring for this agenda due to the double standards, they claim, are inflicted on conservative speakers within present free-speech policies. Several other bills have also gone through the House, such as House Bill 1305, which will bar institutions from limiting activities to purely “free speech zones,” expanding areas for protests and organizational demonstrations from on-campus groups, as well as permit all communication that does not explicitly disrupt the functioning of the university. In Canada, there has been less discourse surrounding new policy implementation, overshadowed by repeated instances of universities under fire for how they have dealt with pro-Palestine student organizations. 

These potential new policies have yet to overshadow the blatant disrespect current educational institutions have given to free speech rights, especially at Barnard College. This university is on national display, actively silencing those who struggle to have their voices heard, and showcasing how there remains so much progress in the realm of free speech rights that has yet to be touched.