By Ryan Christie
Historically, America’s system of higher education was a point of national pride- American universities were, and even now for the most part still is- the best in the world, to the point that students from other continents aspire to study at them. A college education was considered an integral part of the American Dream, central for shaping the intellectual and character of America’s youth for rewarding careers and the betterment of the nation.
For the past several decades, however, the state of the American system of higher education has regressed considerably, case in point being Columbia University in New York City. Founded in 1754, Columbia University is a symbol of the aforementioned ideal of American higher education- it’s alumni and faculty have included seven of the Founding Fathers of the United States, four U.S Presidents, and 10 justices of the Supreme Court, to name a few. Beginning on April 17th, the campus has been illegally occupied by Pro-Palestinian protestors.
The symbolism is chilling. Inside this hallowed place of American intellectual development, students are waving the Palestinian flag, chanting antisemitic and anti-Western slogans, and effectively supporting the governing body of Palestine, which of course is Hamas—the antithesis of everything Columbia University, the United States, and indeed the entire West-stands for.
America’s universities indeed have a serious problem- they have betrayed their purpose in shaping the character and intellectual maturity of their students and preparing them to be civic minded members of society, and instead are allowing them to become aggressive political radicals, largely incapable of critical thinking, disdainful for the rule of law and the rights of other students to continue their education in peace, with little to no reprimand from college administrators or faculty. America’s youth should be skeptical of the university system, and polls show they are- they are increasingly a bad investment, and better opportunities await elsewhere.