KSUnited, a student coalition group made up of several on-campus organizations, informed students Tuesday night in Oscar Ritchie Hall on how to protest properly on campus.
The coalition plans to stage a protest against Senate Bill 1, which aims to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion from institutions of higher education in Ohio, at noon on Thursday.
The bill, which the Ohio House of Representatives passed Wednesday, also aims to remove identity centers from campus, ban faculty and staff from striking and restrict controversial classroom discussion.
Todd Kamenash, associate dean of students for conduct and community engagement, attended the informational to provide some guidelines.
“Students have the right to protest and I fully support that,” Kamenash said. “But it is also important to be aware of the environment that you are in.”
Kamenash told students that while protesting, they cannot disrupt an educational environment or harass other students.
“When there is a lot against one, [other students] may feel like they are being harassed,” Kamenash said.
Students organizing protests may face other challenges as well.
Roseann Canfora, a professional-in-residence who teaches in the School of Media and Journalism, informed the students of the historical dangers of organized protest.
“Agitators can often be present in peaceful protests for their own motivations,” she said.
Whether an undercover agent, a dissenting member or an individual in opposition, Canfora said agitators “imbed themselves to instigate violence.” They may want to incite violence or stir up trouble in an attempt to defame the group that is peacefully protesting, she said.
Canfora also highlighted the fact that student action is “most successful when you recruit a large, diverse number of people around common issues and tactics.” She said it’s important to have a consensus of what your message is and to stick to it.
Some students at the event also expressed concern for their international friends wanting to protest following the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an international affairs graduate student at Columbia University.
“I was glad to see that somebody in the audience brought out the fears that our own international students have, who probably want to be marching with our students in opposition to Senate Bill 1,” Canfora said.
Zachary Graves, vice president of Undergraduate Student Government, said recent actions by the state and federal governments are causing many concerns among students.
“I think with the situation that’s going on right now, especially with the federal government, is pretty scary,” Graves said. “The [Kent State] administration does care about what happens to students and their safety.”
Graves also highlighted the purpose of the upcoming protest.
“We (KSUnited) are all opposed to [Senate Bill 1],” he said. “We definitely all have different perspectives on it and different personal impacts of the bill. We know the effects it will have on higher education, on our student groups, on our ability to care for each other and we are hoping to have a good turnout.”
Students are planning to walk out of classes at noon Thursday and meet on the K, where speakers will give speeches and allow other students to voice their opinions.
Tanner Smith is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
