Reclaim Your University
UGA Students!
Unity among students and community members can drive positive change in combating hate and injustice. At UGA, mechanisms are in place to support peaceful protests and the expression of First Amendment rights.
It is inspiring to witness young people in the campus community advocating for causes they believe in, even those beyond their immediate surroundings. They stand for the environment, women, children, peace, unity, justice, and well-being. And they are doing so outside of the bubbles they live in and within the privilege of studying, working, and living in the UGA campus community. It’s intolerable that some go outside boundaries when there are easy opportunitiesUGA for lawful and peaceful protests. Never on the UGA campus does “resistance” allow for or justify hate speech, provoking and divisive comments, antisemitism, and supporting terrorist groups’ agendas. (And then, while you’re there, throw in some anti-cop city rhetoric and other unrelated issues).
UGA’s action and statement after the North campus protest on Monday were swift and decisive. They did not allow the unlawful tent encampment to fester and grow.
The recent protests at the UGA North campus and others are criticized for lacking substance and resorting to unlawful methods instead of constructive dialogue. Engaging in protests without a deep understanding of the issues at hand can dilute the impact of the message. The demands made, and the unlawful means they used to be heard are all about ceremony and distraction. They missed opportunities to speak and to be heard about peace and unity and solutions to genocide and human rights violations. One could argue that the students approached to join these groups who are not regularly on the UGA campus are being “used.” Several social media posts have highlighted how some of these students would consider a different approach if they fully understood the words they spout or write on signs. The first is a female student at an Emory protest holding the sign “I am Hamas.” Consider:
Hamas is a terrorist organization.
Hamas still holds 133 hostages (30 of this total are believed to be dead)
Hamas regularly engages in rape, sexualized torture, and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women.
Hamas is not a small splinter group and has been in power in Gaza since 2007. Gaza is huge, with over 2 million people living in 139 square miles.
On Oct 7, 2023, Hamas planned and targeted where they could kill children. They expressed the goal to kill as many people as possible and then seize hostages to take them back to Gaza.
Hamas is supported by Iran. Iran historically disseminates videos of their government and citizens chanting “Death to America,” which was referred to as policy years ago by Iran’s leaders. Iran (and Hamas, by extension) has always been at war with Western Civilization (and Western values). For decades on college campuses, protestors chant, “Hey, hey, ho ho, Western Civ has got to go.” This is the civilization that gave the world revolutionary ideas such as human rights, individual freedom, representative democracy, and the self-determination of nations (FDD, Hamas vs. Western Civilization, Clifford D. May).
Second, in an Emory protest video circulating, a police officer carried a resisting Emory female student away in his arms; protestors are acting like children. Some of the faces of these protestors are familiar and regular “activists'' across multiple and ever-changing issues wanting to be seen, heard, and get their 5 minutes of fame. Could these individuals give you an intelligent summary of what is occurring in the Middle East? Love to see any of them put boots on the ground in this region and do any real work to affect change. Don’t give them the attention they crave. Don’t allow them to pose threats to safety and security by risking well-being, using offensive and discriminatory rhetoric, stoking anger between groups, causing campuses to shut down graduations, switching to online learning, and closing campuses early before summer. Don’t allow them to take ownership of YOUR campus, YOUR university, and YOUR home for the past several years.
If the students and community members followed the peaceful protest guidelines, could we perhaps hear their experiences from being in Gaza or a war zone? Could we hear their personal experiences with targeted discrimination, humiliation, torture, starvation, genocide, rape, threat of risk to life, environmental hazards, etc?. With proper dialogue, could we hear what their personal connections are to these issues? And could we hear about what each of them will do to affect change besides buying a tent, deciding what to wear, setting up their blanket, and taking a turn at the bullhorn? Their unlawful and provoking actions are to bully decision-makers into agreeing to specific demands and to do so within a presentation of discrimination and hate; this will never win.
UGA students (and any student in higher and vocational education) doing well in their studies, studying 2nd languages, pursuing relevant careers, doing great work, researching, interning, studying abroad, questioning, being curious and bold; they stand a better chance of affecting change over time than 25 protestors spewing hate and divisiveness. By following their paths of study and becoming the best in their fields, UGA students will BE the change our nation and our world so desperately needs.
The UGA campus community has been through a lot after the murder of Laken Riley and many other crime-related occurrences that have happened in the campus and Athens communities, not yet fully mitigated with optimal safety and security infrastructure. We have UGA families left shattered by what’s happened to their students on and off campus. This UGA graduating class of 2024 didn’t get to enjoy high school events and commencement ceremonies with their families and friends. Laken’s middle name is Hope. It seems that just these past few weeks, with a bit of time passed and walking on the beautiful UGA campus, students are feeling resilient, looking forward with positivity, and embracing hope for their futures. They deserve to commiserate and celebrate with the family and friends that have gotten them through the good times and the bad in these last months and years. I hear of students saying they “respect” the protestors but choose to look down and walk past the events without engaging. There is some guilt that they don’t know enough about the issues, and should have a stance; perhaps they think they are negligent to not stand with them. Like the students who died and/or were injured at Kent State (more on that later) who were walking past the protest event to get to class, they deserved, and UGA students deserve a safe environment. For our students, YOU are free to live YOUR life without engaging in these issues if you do not choose to. And there’s a distinct possibility you know more about the issues in the Middle East than those wearing a keffiyeh and carrying a sign. I’m sure all students and community members are devastated and feel empathetic to the plight of humanity in this region. We have students whose heritage is embedded in these countries and perhaps still have families there and have traveled there, and indeed have family stories and memories that they grew up with. For our UGA students, whatever your interests are, whatever you are looking forward to, whatever you are celebrating in your respective colleges within UGA - keep your head up, walk all over that campus, use all the beautiful facilities, study hard, ring the bell and do it more than once, wear the cap and gown proudly, take that last minute trip, take pictures under the arch and by the fountain, party with your parents and grandparents, pack for study abroad, tell that professor what a difference they made. UGA belongs to all of the students.
Living life to the fullest begins now. Laken would want this (as well as Ariana, Knox, Katelyn, Wyatt, and so many others). Live for the people in Gaza and Israel, for the families experiencing turmoil across the globe. I guarantee all the young people and those who are parents in these countries struggle, live, and work for what you have today - to simply be free, to have a voice, to love, to laugh, to pray, to be with family, to feel safe, and to do work that makes a difference. Terrorist groups (such as Hamas) vs Western Civilization and Western Values - The best revenge for such ideology is a life well-lived in a free nation. Don’t apologize for having that! Then, go out and make the world a better place.
Students, a way to take real ACTION is to sign (as effective as a bullhorn) the change.org/safedathens Never Bark Alone petition to UGA President Morehead requesting implementation of important safety and security measures which include programs that will be successful in this time of national protest turmoil - Safety and Outreach Ambassadors/Escorts (also extra “eyes and ears”); Robust Safe Ride program (with more flexible transit options); Layered Security Infrastructure for Risk Mitigation; and a Safe Zone (which includes stiffer penalties for hate crimes); Emphasis on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design; and comprehensive and independent Safety/Security Assessment on campus to identify critical gaps.
As the 54th anniversary of the May 4th Kent State massacre approaches, we recall the profound impact of that tragic day where a protest led to four unarmed students losing their lives and nine others were wounded. Unlike the Israel and Gaza conflict, the events at Kent State deeply touched every individual within the campus and surrounding communities in Kent, Ohio. The issues at hand related to the Vietnam War and expansion into Cambodia were not distant concerns but rather personal and urgent matters that affected everyone, from the loss of loved ones to the looming possibility of receiving a draft letter.
Reflecting on Kent State's history of protests and activism during the 1960s and 1970s, we see a pattern of students standing up for their beliefs and challenging the status quo. These acts of resistance, such as the protests against police recruiters and the sit-ins organized by various groups, ultimately led to a tragic escalation on May 4, 1970.
While today’s students may not have firsthand memories of such historical events on many campuses, the lessons learned from the past have shaped the way institutions like UGA approach protecting free speech rights while prioritizing the safety and security of their campus populations.
As we honor the memory of student protestors like Kent State and the struggles they faced, we are reminded of the importance of upholding our First Amendment rights and advocating for social change peacefully and constructively. Let us continue to learn from the past, do this smartly and peacefully, and work towards a more just and equitable future for all.
Students - sign and share the petition. Take back your campus today!
Go Dawgs!
Lynn Gainous
Co-Founder UGA Parents for Safety and Security and its nonprofit extension SafeD Athens Inc 501(c)(3)
Proud Kent State Alum
The opinions expressed in this article are my own.