Across the U.S., students on college campuses have been standing in solidarity with Palestinians during protests.
In the past months, thousands of students have been arrested on several campuses and police have used riot gear, tasers and mace.
Elite schools like Brown University and Harvard University have had students demand a ceasefire and peace for Palestinians.
On campuses such as George Washington University, students have set up encampments to resemble the reality of Palestinians in Gaza.
Here at Central Oregon Community College, however, there is silence. No protests, no encampments and no chanting.
How have the protests been happening around the states and not at schools like COCC?
Jim Moore, associate professor and Middle East specialist at Pacific University, said there are several factors why schools like COCC are not having protests.
Moore said it takes a certain type of student to construct a protest and reach their political goals by doing so. According to Moore, the right factors also depend on the demographic of the students at a school. In addition, the students need to believe protests will get their message across.
“There are close to 4,000 colleges in the U.S., there’s really only a small number of active protests happening on those campuses,” said Moore.
An organizer for the Central Oregon Free Palestine organization, said none of their core organizers have been students at either Oregon State University or COCC, and that their team would 100% support students if they formed a protest or encampment.
At Portland State University, students have shown their support for Gaza with protests and encampments. The students demand that the university divest from companies and institutions supporting Israel.
Micheal LaLonde, vice president of finance and operations at COCC said, “COCC is not allowed to invest in anything by law.” This means the college does not have funds in companies that are linked to or supporting Israel, according to Lalonde at a recent COCC Board of Directors meeting.
Political activities on college campuses have dominated news coverage and even led to the president weighing in.
President Biden weighed in on the campus protests and reminded Americans of the First Amendment, the right to free speech, and for people to “let their voices be heard.” Shortly after, Biden ended his speech with a big “but” and said that vandalizing property is against the law and not peaceful protesting.
Harsh criticism of how police authorities have been handling the student protesters has sprung up across the nation.
Noëlle McAfee, the chair of Emory University’s philosophy department, was among those arrested during a protest on Emory’s campus. McAfee stated in an interview posted on YouTube that she was not protesting but just watching students peacefully chant while she was violently arrested.
According to Robert Pape, a U.S. military historian, the war on Gaza is “the most devastating bombing campaigns ever,” and Gaza marks having the most child amputees in history according to a report by The New Yorker.
At least 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and 77,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the majority being women and children. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s members stands at 1,139 with dozens of people still held captive.