US. >> FOR HERE AND NOW, I'M MARISA
WOJCIK IN MADISON. >> FOR SOME STUDENTS, BOTH THE
ISRAEL PALESTINIAN WAR AND THE CAMPUS PROTESTS SEEM A WORLD
AWAY. JOINING US NOW IS PETER
HART-BRINSON, UW-EAU CLAIRE COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENTS.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO GIVE US THE PERSPECTIVE FROM YOUR CAMPUS A COUPLE HOURS
AWAY. PROTESTERS THERE?
>> UP UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, I THINK VERY FEW STUDENTS HAVE
BEEN FOLLOWING THE EVENTS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING AT CAMPUSES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I THINK PRIMARILY BECAUSE WE
HAVE RELATIVELY FEW STUDENTS WHO ARE JEWISH OR MUSLIM OR OF
MIDDLE EASTERN DESCENT, AND STUDENTS ARE REALLY BUSY
FOCUSING ON THEIR STUDIES AND THEIR WORK.
AND BE GIVEN THAT THIS IS SUCH A COMPLICATED GEOPOLITICAL
CONFLICT, STUDENTS HAVE BEEN HESITANT TO ENGAGE, I THINK.
SO THINGS HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY QUIET AMONGST OUR STUDENTS ON
CAMPUS HERE AT UW-EAU CLAIRE. >> SO YOU'VE BEEN ADDRESSING
THIS IN ONE OF YOUR CLASSES. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE DISCUSSION?
WHAT QUESTIONS ARE STUDENTS ASKING AND WHAT DOES THAT
CONVERSATION LOOK LIKE FOR AWARE OR HAVE A FAMILY OR A
FRIEND CONNECTION OR A HISTORY CONNECTION TO THAT AREA.
>> SURE. THE CLASS I'VE BEEN TALKING TO
MY STUDENTS ABOUT, ABOUT THIS WITH IS A SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
CLASS. CONVERSATION AT ALL, THE FIST
STUDENTS -- FIRST THINGS STUDENTS WANTED TO KNOW IS WHAT
IS THIS ALL ABOUT. THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT,
OF COURSE, GOES BACK DECADES, AND IT'S SUCH A COMPLICATED
ISSUE THAT STUDENTS REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND FOR THE MOST PART THE
BASICS OF THE CONFLICT. SO WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME JUST
TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEED ABOUT WHO THE PLAYERS ARE, WHO IS
HAMAS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM PALESTINIANS.
FOR EXAMPLE, SINCE THE POLICE HAVE BEEN USED TO BREAK UP
PROTESTS AT COLUMBIA AND U.C.L.A. AND ELSEWHERE, WE'VE
BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT WHEN POLICE ACTION IS EFFECTIVE AND
WHEN IT'S NOT. SOMETIMES POLICE ACTION TO BREAK
UP A PROTEST CAN ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS WORSE, AND I THINK THAT
WE'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN AT COLUMBIA AND ELSEWHERE.
>> SO FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDENTS IN MADISON OR AT UW
MILWAUKEE, WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN ORDER FOR SOMEONE IN
EAU CLAIRE TO REALIZE, HEY, THIS IS A BIGGER THING, I SHOULD PAY
ATTENTION TO THIS, MAYBE I SHOULD TAKE A STANCE.
>> I THINK STUDENTS ARE SHARING A LOT OF INFORMATION ON SOCIAL
MEDIA AND THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF THEIR INFORMATION ON SOCIAL
MEDIA, WHICH MAKES IT EASY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PROTESTING IN ONE
PLACE TO GET THEIR MESSAGE OUT TO STUDENTS IN ANOTHER PLACE.
AND SO THE MORE STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN TAKING UP THE CALL TO
PROTEST AT CAMPUSES AROUND THE UNITED STATES, I THINK IT BECAME
HARDER AND HARDER FOR STUDENTS ON OUR CAMPUS TO IGNORE AND TO
ASK THEMSELF, MAYBE WE SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN THIS, TOO.
>> AND HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT STUDENTS THERE TRYING TO
GET INVOLVED, START A PROTEST OR DO ANYTHING ON YOUR CAMPUS?
>> EARLIER THIS WEEK, I WAS INFORMED THAT A PROTEST IS BEING
PLANNED FOR TODAY, ACTUALLY ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE -- UNTIL
NOW, WHILE WE'RE TAPING THIS INTERVIEW, SO THERE LOOKS TO BE
A PROTEST OF SOME KIND OF SCHEDULED FOR UW-EAU CLAIRE.
I'M UNAWARE OF SIMILAR PROTESTS HAPPENING AT OTHER UW BRANCH
CAMPUSES, ALTHOUGH THEY COULD BE.
>> SO BROADEN THIS OUT BEYOND THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT.
THE UW ENCAMPMENT WASN'T EVEN A FEW HOURS OLD, WE HAD
POLITICIANS WEIGHING IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BREAK THEM UP OR
SUPPORT THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
HOW DOES THAT -- THE POLITICIANS TRYING TO LEVERAGE THIS MOVEMENT
IMPACT HOW PEOPLE IN AREAS FARTHER AWAY FROM THE ACTUAL
PROTEST PERCEIVE IT? >> BOTH STUDENTS AND FACULTY ARE
SCARED, AND THIS IS NOT JUST AN ISSUE THAT PERTAINS TO THIS
PARTICULAR CONFLICT, BUT ABOUT ANY TOPIC THAT PERTAINS TO RACE
OR GENDER OR SEXUALITY OR EDUCATION.
HIGHER EDUCATION HAS BECOME SO POLITICIZED IN THE LAST COUPLE
OF YEARS THAT STUDENTS ARE SCARED TO SPEAK IN THE CLASSROOM
AND MANY FACULTY ARE SCARED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
NATIONALLY, ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF ALL FACULTY ARE ADD
CONJUNCTIVITIS AND THEY CAN BE FIRED AT WILL.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE PROTECTIONS OF TENURE.
AND SO WHEN STUDENTS AND FACULTY SEE THE KINDS OF ALLEGATIONS
THAT ARE BEING LEVELED AGAINST THE PROTESTERS, THAT THEY'RE
ANTI-SEMITIC SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY'RE CRITICIZING THE
GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL, OR THAT OPPOSING THE KILLING OF INNOCENT
LIFE MAKES YOU PRO HAMAS, THAT KIND OF POLITICAL FRAMING MAKES
PEOPLE SCARED TO EVEN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
>> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
TODAY. TODAY.