MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) admins explained why they decided not to suspend students who recently rallied to support Palestine against Israel.
Before the education institute's president shared their side, officials threatened pro-Palestine student protesters that they would be suspended because of the recent rally that negatively affected classes. However, MIT President Sally Kornbluth confirmed that they will no longer suspend these learners from enrollment. Here's what MIT admins explained.
Why MIT Admins Will No Longer Suspend Pro-Palestine Student Protesters
A sign on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology on July 08, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard and MIT have sued the Trump administration for its decision to strip international college students of their visas if all of their courses are held online.
According to Fox News' latest report, MIT President Sally Kornbluth explained that students who participated in pro-Palestine rallies will still be suspended from "non-academic" activities.
However, they will not be banned from enrollment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This is because many of these learners have non-American student visas.
If MIT suspends them from enrollment, then they could suffer from visa issues; they could even be deported if the school prevents them from enrolling.
MIT Students Rallied to Support Palestine
People listen to speakers and hold signs during a pro-Palestine protest on the steps of City Hall on May 23, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville Students for Justice in Palestine held the rally to decry Israel's recent military action in Gaza and to condemn the U.S. government's continued support of Israel. This marks the third day of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
The previous enrollment suspension threats were made by MIT after some of its students participated in an anti-Israel protest on Thursday, Nov. 9.
Participants began their rally at around 8:00 a.m. during that day at Lobby 7 of the university's main entrance. The New York Post reported that many students complained that they were blocked by the pro-Palestine protesters from attending their classes.
Because of this, they shared their concerns that these anti-Israel students could make the university unsafe, especially for Jewish learners.
The MIT Israel Alliance, a pro-Israel organization, published an open letter claiming that the pro-Palestine students obstructed daily classes. The group was specifically referring to the Coalition Against Apartheid (CAA).
"This is after students from the CAA harassed MIT staff members in their offices for being Jewish and interrupted classes in the past few weeks," said the MIT Israel Alliance.
MIT President Concerned About Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine Rallies
Recently, Sally Kornbluth already shared her concerns regarding the pro-Israel and pro-Palestine rallies that were being organized by students.
The university leader explained to school staff that these protests would just lead to violence. She even directly told learners to leave the lobby area to avoid making the situation worse.
"Many chose to leave, and I appreciate their cooperation. Some did not. Members of my team have been in dialogue with students all day," said Kornbluth.
Related Article: Jewish Students Plan to Sue Colleges, Universities for Not Protecting Them Against Pro-Palestine Protesters
