VOA教育报道2024--US Campus Protests Face Summer Break

How long student protests over the war in Gaza can continue is in question with the removal of encampments, graduations and summer break.

The student protests came after the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. The offensive was to answer the Hamas attack on October 7 that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel. The resulting war in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people, including civilians¹ and fighters. Those numbers come from Gaza's Health Ministry² and are not independently confirmed.

The protesters say they will continue until college officials meet their demands. They include a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and ending university investment in companies profiting from the war. They also include the removal of punishments for students and school employees for protesting.

Experts who study protest movements say it is difficult to continue the protests' energy if most of the students are gone. But they also point out that student demonstrations³ are just one way to protest in the wider pro-Palestinian movement that has existed for many years. They say this summer will provide more chances for the energy that started at universities to move to the streets.

Evolve or disappear

Dana Fisher is a professor at American University in Washington, D.C. She has written several books on social movements and has seen some of her students among protesters at the university.

She noted⁴ the campus protests spread across the country as a response to police activity at Columbia University on April 18. More than 100 people were arrested then. Since those first arrests, the Associated Press estimated that nearly 2,900 people have been arrested at 57 colleges and universities around the U.S.

Fisher told Reuters news agency that she does not see enough organizational structure for the young people to continue protesting when they are not at school. She said the movement will have to evolve "or it can't continue."

In Denver, Colorado, police on April 26 arrested 45 people at an encampment protest at the Auraria campus used by the University of Colorado-Denver, Metropolitan⁵ State University, and the Community College of Denver.

On May 8, the students returned for a sit-in inside the Aerospace⁶ and Engineering Sciences building. The building was developed in part with a $1 million gift from arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Steph, who chose to not give her last name due to fear of punishment, is a 21-year-old student on the Auraria campus. She said, "We're keeping our protests up and our encampment going until our demands are met, however long that takes." She added, "We'll be here through summer break and into next fall if needed."

Fisher said the police response to protests has helped create a sense of activism in a new generation of students. She thinks the current campus demonstrations are the beginning of a "long, hot summer of protest" about many issues.

And she thinks the Republican National Convention in July and the Democratic National Convention in August will become targets for large protests.

Fisher said the current police response has been "much more aggressive and repressive" than the time of student-led protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. "And then... in the middle of all that the presidential election," she added.

After graduation, a ghost town

Michael Heaney teaches politics at the University of Glasgow in Britain. His research and books have dealt with U.S. protest movements.

Heaney said the campus protests are just one method in the wider movement to support Palestinians, an ongoing⁷ effort that goes back many years. He pointed⁸ to the U.S. civil rights protests that went back 200 years, saying just because one moment of protest ends does not mean the end of a movement.

He said pro-Palestinian protests in American cities this summer could grow if Israel's offensive in Gaza continues. And he added that such demonstrations would have been supported by the widespread university activism.

Jacob, 22, is one of the student protest organizers on Denver's Auraria campus. He said, "After graduation, it may be a ghost town on this campus - but we'll still be here." He added, "We're not going anywhere."

Words in This Story

campus - n. the area and buildings around a university, college, or school

response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

evolve - v. to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state

ghost town - n. a town that no longer has any people living in it

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。