“I heard that some law students were suspended, dismissed from their positions.”

“Yes, I don’t want my name to be made public, I don’t want my future to be put in danger.”

I remember hearing this lunchtime conversation last October with some of my friends at Okenshields in response to the growing protests on campus. This conversation then developed into a conversation of discretion: don’t speak your mind, or you might be one of those students who ends up in the news. Over the past few weeks, four pro-Palestinian demonstrators were banned from our campus for three years, and many others were suspended. This follows the case of Momodou Taalthe grad student who was about to be expelled for participating in a protest at a recent career fair. Since last year, the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and speech on this campus has intensified, with administrators imposing a series of high-profile suspensions. From a layman’s perspective, the University’s attitude seems extreme. The perceived attempt to control student expression creates a sense of disquiet on campus. It sends the message “you will be next” if a student decides to speak out or show support. This goes back to the dinner table conversation a year ago. But the concerns raised by my friends have become much more serious as the university steps up its security and surveillance measures.