Historically, college students have protested and rallied to support causes they believe in, such as advocating for civil rights, ending the Vietnam War and divesting from the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Currently, many college student activists across the country, including universities in Oregon such as Portland State University (PSU) and the University of Oregon (UO) are demanding that their schools divest from companies with financial ties to Israel as well as defense manufacturers. This comes after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, and the following war in Gaza that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to US News.
According to an article in the Associated Press, a U.S. Department of Education database reported that between 2014-2024, American universities received about $342 million in gifts and contracts from Israel.
Some members of the Jewish community say the student student protests are antisemitic. According to the New York Times, a letter signed by more than 500 Jewish students at Columbia University called the protests there antisemitic.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), students at PSU are demanding the university cut ties with Boeing because they supply weapons to the Israeli military.
“[The protests] started out peaceful,” said a PSU student at the protest who requested anonymity. “People were camping out in front of the library. And then…, [the protesters] broke [into the library].”
Police intervened, arresting 30 people in connection to the pro-Palestine protests at PSU, according to OPB.
Some colleges have reached agreements with protestors. “Evergreen State College, has agreed … to divest any holdings linked with Israel. A few others, including Brown and Northwestern University, have said they will disclose their investment exposure to Israel,” a Columbia Broadcasting System article says.
Former Lincoln students who attend college out of state have also observed protests at their schools.
Alyssia Menezes (class of 2023) is a freshman at the University of Texas Austin and said she was surprised and disheartened by the governments response to the student demonstrations there.
“In Texas, lawmakers are actively tweeting that students who protest should be expelled,” said Menezes. “The first day of protests was crazy. There were horses and police armed with large guns, who seemed to be there to stop the protesters as opposed to simply ensuring peace.”
