The Trump administration promised a crackdown on student protests, and now that promise is in full effect. From the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, to the revocation of degrees from students who partook in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Columbia University seems to be at the center of it all. A prestigious university willing to comply with the enforcement of punishment on students for exercising their right to free speech sets a dangerous precedent for other higher education institutions. What happens if ICE moves down from 116th Street to 68th Street? What’s happening at Columbia worries all students committed to activism, especially those only a 30-minute commute away.
“It’s scary because I think with the Trump administration, the schools are even more pushed to comply with repressing students and student activism,” said Rio Takahashi, a film major and a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America at Hunter College (YDSA). “I mean, that’s really clear with Columbia and I think that’s only the beginning.”
Hunter already has a history of repressing student activism when it’s related to Palestine. In November of 2023, Hunter’s interim president at the time, Ann Kirschner, canceled the screening of “Israelism”, a film critical of Israel, due to safety concerns. Later, due to the backlash from the student body, Hunter rescheduled the screening but refused to provide specific reasons for the cancellation.
This February, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered Hunter College to remove a job posting for a Palestinian studies professor. Hunter complied. According to the reasoning given, the job posting included words such as “genocide,” “apartheid,” and “settler colonialism,” which some found offensive. Recently, Hunter’s hiring committee resubmitted the job posting.
In response to Hunter’s compliance, the History Society of Hunter College created a petition titled “Petition for Palestinian History Courses and Against Historical Negationism.” Historical negationism is the falsification or distortion of historical events, which is, according to the History Society, what Hochul and Chancellor Felix V. Matos are doing by not allowing Palestinian history to be taught as its own subject, limiting Palestinian history to a singular viewpoint.
“We, as history students, said ‘If we can’t have Palestinian studies as its own program at Hunter, then we’re gonna bring Palestinian studies into the history department’,” said Anthony Arredondo, a history major and a YDSA member. “And further, we’re agitating for Palestinian history to be incorporated into the courses that already exist. For example, trying to make it a topic that’s heavily covered in Middle Eastern history courses instead of delegating it as a footnote.”
Hunter students are creating initiatives to combat student activism repression, but they’re still worried for their safety and the safety of their classmates. Takahashi stated that their major fear around protesting is the high likelihood of being doxxed. In November 2023, a doxxing truck circled Hunter College, displaying the names of faculty and students who showed support for Palestine. Hunter College issued a statement addressing the incident by explaining what legal action can be taken against doxxing and what support Hunter students have to deal with such situations. However, amidst Hunter’s promises to support their CUNY communities, they stated they are “limited” in their conduct.
Some students don’t feel confident in the administration’s ability to protect them from doxxing, ICE, or facing other punishments the Trump administration could incentivize against student protestors. Instead, they rely on each other for support and community, which is how the Hunter Student Union was formed. Hunter Student Union was founded in August 2024 to organize students around issues that matter most to them and create a better college environment. Takahashi and Arredondo are both a part of it.
When it comes to how the Hunter administration could move forward amidst Trump’s crackdown on student activists and protests, Dan West, an adjunct instructor of English and a PhD student at the CUNY Graduate Center, presents a possible way through.
He says that CUNY’s attempts to abide by the law, like letting ICE in only if they have a warrant, are misguided. CUNY institutions should start treating the Trump administration for what it is–fascism. Instead of trying to wait for what will happen next, CUNY needs to be vocal about its commitment to its students. Unlike Columbia, CUNY institutions are public and are meant to represent the diversity of their student body.
“[CUNY] should start thinking about their love for their students and the protection of students more than trying to, essentially, play a waiting game that will ultimately be unsuccessful,” said West.
