Parents speak out against ‘nightmare’ conditions on campus
Amy Gallatin, whose daughter attends Columbia University’s partner school, Barnard College, joins “Fox & Friends First” to discuss her concern about widespread anti-Israel campus protests and how it affects her daughter’s education. What has been the impact on capacity?
a handful colleges and universities Campuses across the country have been closed in recent weeks and days due to the outbreak of anti-Israel unrest, leaving people paying thousands of dollars in tuition feeling frustrated that they have been barred from accessing some school buildings and resources. Has gone.
College closings are a “necessary evil”, according to Amy Gallatin, whose daughter attends a Columbia University partner school. Barnard College in New York City. “This is not the experience that my first daughter should have, that any student of any year should have,” Gallatin told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Barnard was one of many schools that discontinued classroom instruction and shifted to distance learning as did college campuses across the United States, including Columbia University, UCLA, City College of New York, California State Polytechnic University, and Tulane University. Unruly anti-Israel demonstrations became widespread.
UCLA canceled classes for the rest of the day Wednesday “due to the crisis arising from the violence” that occurred on its campus late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The City College of New York, which is also part of the City University of New York system moved to distance learning on Wednesday amid ongoing disruptions on its premises.
Columbia University moving to hybrid learning on main campus amid anti-Semitic protests
A student protester parades with a Palestinian flag outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Altafer/Pool)
Tulane announced Tuesday that it has closed parts of its campus and moved some classes to remote learning. Amid the campus unrest, other schools such as California State Polytechnic University and Colombia announced It said last month that some classes would shift to hybrid or remote learning by the end of the spring 2024 semester.
While acknowledging Barnard’s decision to institute remote learning as an effort to keep students safe on campus, Gallatin said the transition has been a difficult one for her daughter. On Tuesday, she had to take her final exams in her hostel while hearing chants calling for violence outside her window.
“My daughter is also disappointed (and) it is natural,” he said. “Yesterday at 6 pm she had her final exam, which she was taking from her hostel, when the protesters on the road were making noise, clapping and shouting slogans.”
Hearing chants calling for the death of Jews while taking an exam was “a very disturbing experience” for her daughter, Gallatin said, and “it’s a scary thing to have to walk through all those people.”
Gallatin praised media outlets that “have shown a commitment to ensuring that there is an understanding antisemitism And anti-American sentiment is what’s at stake right now.”
He also praised law enforcement officials Columbia University was freed from the occupiers Tuesday night, but he highlighted how the camps and demonstrations have affected students’ ability to move around campus to access buildings like libraries, dining halls and gyms.
“It’s very inconvenient,” she said. “That alone adds so much stress.”
Police are shown near an anti-Israel encampment on the UCLA campus on May 1, 2024. (Reuters/David Swanson)
Many parents of students attending schools that have moved to remote learning are seeking tuition refunds or reimbursements.
Although Gallatin is hesitant to join the calls for tuition refunds, he said it is “reasonable to ask for at least some type of adjustment.”
However, other parents say that after allowing anti-Israel unrest to continue for so long, colleges should issue tuition refunds before the next school semester begins.
A Columbia parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital, “Colleges should honestly be ashamed of their handling of all this. They are largely responsible for allowing the protests to happen the way they did. ” “Certainly individual reimbursements should be made before school starts. Think about everyone who was impacted: students, faculty, parents, police and others.”
“I’m not a big fan of distance learning, and I don’t think it’s good for any students,” said the mom, whose son is a junior at the school. “While this is temporary, as I understand it, it should never have been an option in the first place. Who knows if this will continue next semester, but all of this could be avoided if schools would take the right actions and “We’ll follow our own rules to deal with this kind of thing.”
Whereas Tuition and Fees Prices Varying for different colleges and universities, they exceed $65,000 per year at schools like Columbia, Tulane, and UCLA. At places like the City College of New York and California State Polytechnic University, annual tuition costs $6,900 and $8,300, respectively.
Anti-Israel protests have spread rapidly in recent weeks as most schools refuse to take action even when threats are made against members of the Jewish community. (Getty Images)
a recent parent University of Wisconsin The graduate also expressed her thoughts on the matter in comments to Fox.
He said, “It is extremely disturbing to see what is happening on campus. Yes, students and all of us have the right to free speech, but no one should prevent others from attending class or using resources on campus. Has no right.” “And no one should threaten or disparage any person of any religion, background, or ethnicity. It goes against who we are as Americans, and students should know better.”
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“As parents and a family, our experience with the college has always been very positive. We always felt that leadership communication was clear and helpful. Our son had a very positive experience there and we love the school. That’s why it affects me so much.” It’s sad to see what’s going on there right now. We trust and hope that the college leadership will get things under control and provide students of all backgrounds with access to the educational resources they have chosen and for which they are paying, and no student should ever feel will be. “They’re at risk or being threatened as they try to complete their studies and their time there.”
