Samiah Aziz Neha

FIQWS 10115

Professor Hunter 11/28/2022

Student’s struggles for free speech on Campus

The struggle for free speech on campus has been a long-running issue in the history of America. In the early 1930s, students and faculty protested against fascism, militarism, and racial injustice and fought to defend free speech on campus.

In April 1969, Black and Puerto Rican students fought for their rights which bought radical transformation in the College. The students shut down the College and canceled the classes with five demands. These demands turned CCNY into an exceptionally diverse campus in the country. They proved that if a small group of regular people can come together to take action, they can bring about significant change. In 1969 proposed budget cuts, if implemented, would’ve eliminated the SEEK program. So, the black and Puerto Rican students proposed these five demands to the president of CCNY. These demands were a separate institution dedicated to Black and Puerto Rican studies. ONE: An independent institution for studying Black and Puerto Rican culture. TWO: A distinct orientation program for newcomers from Puerto Rico and Black backgrounds. THREE: SEEK students have a role in formulating all policies governing the SEEK Program, including the selection and termination of all personnel. FOUR: All incoming classes should be racially diverse to match the high school enrollment of Black and Puerto Rican students in New York City. 5. Spanish proficiency and Black and Puerto Rican history should be

prerequisites for all education majors. One of the five former student leaders and the five- demand cast member is Francee Covington.

Francee Covington, one of the activists of the first seek graduates and activist of the five-demand protest. From a very early age, she started fighting for the rights of black people. She grew up in an active family. One of her aunts was a field secretary for the congress of racial equality. She used to help her aunt in the office as she could. It was one of the things that shaped her as an activist. She didn’t belong to a wealthy family, and she was taught that the way she could correct things was to show up and make sure her voice was heard. She was only 14 when she got first arrested. She was detained at Downstate medical center while they were building it. It was a massive complex in Brooklyn. No one at that job of making the complex was black or Puerto Rican. She thought it was unacceptable and was arrested for fighting against it.

She saw students being forced into a hostile environment during her college days. Because the people there thought that black people could not be scholars or successful. The black and Puerto Rican students’ voices were ignored. In one of her history classes, her professor only asked the Black students in that class to stand up and told the whole class that those black students didn’t come a normal way and couldn’t do the work that was assigned to them. Her professor told her and other black students in that class that they didn’t deserve to be there. These incidents lit a fire on her being an activist. It was very hard for her and other Black students to have people look down upon them. They then decided to formulate the five demands, and she was the only woman in the group. They were all united and fought for their cause. She and other students fought

against injustice and their freedom of speech on campus. Their activism resulted in a radical transformation of the university. Within seven years, almost all the white student body had become majority students of color.

In 1999 the center pillar of the policy of open admission was eliminated. The student movement was successful. With the implementation of open admissions at CUNY, the promise of more opportunity equality and a larger Black and Brown middle class became a reality. Ethnic Studies departments and programs were formed at numerous universities, and the SEEK program was significantly enlarged. Due to their contribution, CCNY is now one of the country’s most diverse campuses. Free speech at the campus is protected.

Lydia Tom, a former Asian student and activist of CCNY. She was the first generation from her family to join college. In an interview, she shared her story of racism at CCNY during college. While she was a student born and raised in America, she wasn’t perceived as an American. She was always seen as an immigrant student. She wanted to learn more about Asian American history but later found out that there was no Asian American history in America at that time. In 1969 people from California started Asian American movement. Lydia and the other Asian American students of CCNY got inspired by them and in the 1070s, they took over the campus to establish Asian American studies program at CCNY. Then in the 1070s, they got their first Asian American history class.

During the great depression, when the country’s economy was in crisis, The students at CCNY were among the poorest in the country. They couldn’t afford books, subway fares, or school lunches. Almost 80% of the student body were Jewish, Eastern European immigrants. The students were aware of the inequalities in America. They knew even a college degree wouldn’t provide them with employment. At the same time, fascism was on the rise in Europe. The Jewish student was particularly concerned about the threat of antisemitism and fascism on campus. Students were fighting for their free speech on campus; on the other hand, Frederick Robinson, President of CCNY, called the police on campus. He suspended many students and attacked them. The students were mad as their president was against the anti-fascists and honored the young fascists.

After World War 1, The Reserve officers training corps (ROTC) was compulsory at CCNY. The students protested to eliminate this as a requirement. Students marched in a “jingo day” anti-war demonstration in 1933. President Robinson called the police to disperse the protestors. He even hit a student with his umbrella. After these 21 student leaders were expelled, bans the club from campus for supporting the activism. The students successfully eliminated the ROTC as a requirement, but it stayed on campus in military science until 1072.

The CCNY administration tried to silence this activism. CCNY’s president, Robinson, violated the student’s free speech rights. He expelled around 43 students and more than 50 faculty for participating in the protest.

Frederick B. Robinson: on taking actions against protestors in the New York Journal and American, November 16, 1934.
In this journal, he said, “legal provision should be made defining subversive organized activities introduced into colleges.”. Robinson, President of CCNY, tried his best to stop the activism and took legal action against the protestors.

CCNY students also fought against racial injustice during the 1930s. They fought for racial equality, the appointment of black faculty, and the introduction of black study courses. In 1940 Rapp-Coudert Committee was created to investigate any subversive activity in State colleges. The Committee interrogated more than five hundred public college faculty, staff, and students. The students were ordered to appear at the private hearing without any lawyer or parent to disclose the political activities and other students’ and teachers’ names related to political activities. CCNY becomes the main target of The Rapp Committee. City College President Wright aligns with the Rapp Committee and gives them a list of potential CCNY informers. The Rapp Committee investigation led to the suspension of more than 50 CCNY college staff and faculty. The board of Higher Education then does its research to eliminate communists from college.

Sigal Ben-Porath, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, teaches educational theory and practice. In a peer-reviewed online collection, he states that colleges and universities had to modify their cultures in response to the evolving student body. According to the writer, as the proportion of women and students from different racial and

religious origins in academics rises, campus culture must also change. Ben-Porath thinks the education goal is best achieved by empowering historically underrepresented perspectives and ensuring that everyone may participate in the debate rather than emphasizing the suppression of free speech.

In a peer-reviewed article, Peter Berkowitz writes, ” Liberal democracy was established on the “inescapable” privileges that all people possess, including the right to free expression and the protection it affords. However, good legislation cannot guarantee freedom of speech. A public culture that supports a proper comprehension of fair speech and the values that support it is also essential. It is urgent to address the erosion of the social environment within the United

States, especially between its accelerated elites.” He states that the First Amendment gives us the right to free speech. However, good laws cannot guarantee freedom of speech. A public culture that supports a correct understanding of free speech is also essential. It is of urgent worry that public culture is failing in the United States. The colleges could not ensure the student’s free speech on campus.

It was the contribution of the students who fought against injustice on the campus CCNY is now one of the country’s most diverse campuses. Free speech at the campus is protected.