Student protest is a proud democratic tradition in American higher education. For generations, students have challenged the status quo and drawn attention to the issues that mattered to them by demonstrating on campus. Today’s challenges—from tuition increases to racial justice in schools—are driving students to rally for change.
This article explores the history of student protest and outlines the First Amendment protections that protect speech, assembly and demonstration on campus. It also examines the ways colleges and universities have responded to student activism in recent years.
Colleges rely on their campuses to be a place where new ideas are shared and students learn how to express themselves. At the same time, federal laws —including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act —require universities to ensure students have a safe learning environment free from discrimination and harassment. This is why some universities limit the places and times students can protest —including encampments and large gatherings that block access to classroom buildings.
Students can be arrested for participating in certain types of civil disobedience if their actions violate existing law or university policies. But civil disobedience is an effective way to draw attention to a cause, especially when the message is so powerful it is worth the price. For example, when four Black students at North Carolina A&T State University held a sit-in at a whites only lunch counter in 1960, they triggered the civil rights movement. Similarly, Tufts students went on a hunger strike in 2015 to call for higher wages for the school’s janitors.