Staff Reports
As college students pack up their laptops and textbooks and head back to campus, many in New York are returning with the shadow of last semester’s pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic protests in mind. It’s a new academic year, but Governor Kathy Hochul is determined to change the narrative. Her plan? A law requiring campuses to appoint a Title VI anty-discrimination coordinator within the next year. This coordinator will be tasked with investigating complaints and conducting training sessions. It’s about time someone steps in to bring some semblance of order to the chaos that seems to be breeding on campuses.
Let’s not forget the broader context here. House Republicans have been busy investigating renowned institutions such as UCLA, UCSF, and University of Illinois College of Medicine for their apparent missteps in handling anti-Semitism on campus last semester. There’s a sense that this issue has been swept under the rug for too long. If these bastions of higher learning think they can keep twiddling their thumbs, they’re sorely mistaken. And let’s be honest, $500 million from Harvard? Well, some might say that sounds perfectly reasonable to ensure these universities get their act together.
The Trump administration’s efforts, commendably harsh as they might be, suggest that federal pressure is making some ripples. With university presidents suddenly eager to chat about their steps to address these issues, it seems the administration’s nudge might be having its intended effect. This kind of enforcement refuses to let colleges off the hook, making clear that discriminatory environments won’t be tolerated. It’s not just about freedom of speech—it’s ensuring every student can get to class without being harassed or intimidated.
But the issue isn’t confined to our big-name colleges. No, it begins even before students set foot on campus. There’s troubling indoctrination happening from K-12, layering societal dynamics of oppressor and oppressed, conveniently forgetting some hard-learned lessons of history. It’s no small wonder college campuses are now a battlefield of ideological skirmishes. Meanwhile, in the classrooms, under the guise of something noble, students are being fed a version of reality that glosses over thousands of years of Jewish history and their struggles.
It’s up to parents, more than ever, to probe their children’s education and demands transparency. After all, they’re not investing in an education system that’s sowing the seeds of division. And while we’re inspecting the state of our educational and cultural institutions, let’s tip our hats to initiatives like celebrating America’s 250th birthday through the Smithsonian, shedding the shackles of political correctness. Here’s hoping that a renewed sense of pride in our nation and its values flourishes. Parents, policymakers, and educators alike must join forces to preserve the essence of American unity.
