The Investigative Project on Terrorism
"RIT's struggle with pro-Hamas demonstrations shows that even when a university does what is right and necessary, it must maintain vigilance against the antisemitism of today's anti-Israel demonstrators."
"In the four academic semesters since October 7, 2023, anti-Israel protests organized by Hamas sympathizers have overtaken some schools and tarnished the reputation of American academia. The Ivy League schools have been particularly soiled by a combination of ignorant students, radical professors, and weak administrations that coddle them.
"On the contrary, the Rochester Institute of Technology, where I teach, dealt with pro-Hamas, antisemitic protests differently. While many schools are destroying their brands, RIT fought back.
"The RIT brand has always centered on innovative and creative uses of technology. The university prides itself on the success of its career-driven, motivated students of engineering, imaging, and computer science, and more recently of game design, film, and animation. We have Army and Air Force ROTC programs, and various defense and military research, including funding from the Space Force.
"Just as important as what RIT has is what it doesn't have – no Middle East studies department and no Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter. The absence of the former protects us from the most educated Israel haters, while the absence of the latter protects us from the least educated Israel haters. However, nearby University of Rochester and Syracuse University have both, so we are not immune from Israel haters.
"Anti-Israel, pro-Hamas demonstrations seemed ubiquitous on college campuses almost immediately after October 7, but RIT was spared that ugliness for over a month. I had been on the lookout for demonstrations and was proud of the students for not aping the antics of those at other New York colleges. Nor were there any flyers around campus commenting on the war in Gaza or announcing upcoming protests.
"On October 13, I saw about a dozen masked people, some sporting keffiyehs, loitering on one of the campus green spaces, but there were no chants or signs. If this was a protest, these were real amateurs." . . .
