As we start our Saturday morning, in rolls some journalistic excellence from the Associated Press (AP).

In fact, AP states that for college students arrested for Israel/Hamas war protests, “the fallout is just the beginning”. (Gasp!)

And, why were these students tear-gassed?!

Our story starts with little Annie McGrew of UMass/Amherst. Annie is staring down two hearings: one for the misdemeanor charges she faces in court, and another for violations of the college’s conduct code. Annie has a sad about this because these pesky hearings are keeping her from finishing her dissertation in economics.

It’s been a really rough few months for me since my arrest. I never imagined this is how UMass (administration) would respond.”-Annie McGrew

Then don't try to block Jewish students from class and then trap them in a cafeteria.

— Frieza, Most Powerful Being In the Universe (@haz_beard) August 2, 2024

There is THAT. And while lots of students across the nation are getting a slap on the wrist, AP choses to zone in on the plight of these student terrorists protestors.

Along with the legal limbo, those students face uncertainty in their academic careers. Some remain steadfast, saying they would have made the same decisions to protest even if they had known the consequences. Others have struggled with the aftermath of the arrests, harboring doubts about whether to stay enrolled in college at all.”-AP

AP shines the spotlight on Valencia Alvarez, a student at Washington University in St. Louis. Valencia is waiting to hear of what will come of her potential charges. She says she, and the other students who were arrested, could face a hearing from WashU’s Office of Student Conduct or “accept responsibility” and forego further investigation. Alvarez is choosing the tough road, being the good, indoctrinated, Social Justice Warrior that she is:

I don’t really plan on being quiet about this, and I think that’s the goal of the second option”-Valencia Alvarez

The force is strong with this one, ladies and gents.

One student demonstrator, Ezra Baptist, said he was taken to a hospital with a concussion and a cut after being thrown forward and hitting his head during his arrest by state troopers. He was supposed to avoid looking at screens because of his injury and could not complete one class he needed to graduate in May.”-AP

Read: it is the state troopers’ fault for pushing him. (“Eff the police,” they say.) How dare the cops don’t stand for having bottles and punches thrown at their faces! But these poor students are in limbo, with their degrees on hold. Traumatized by life’s consequences of playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes.

At Washington University, conduct hearings for arrested students began recently but have yet to result in disciplinary decisions. In the meantime, (Valencia) Alvarez does not have the master’s degree in public health she would have received by now if not for her arrest.”-AP

She wants that degree. She’s worked four jobs to obtain that degree. I will give her credit for the fact that some of her counterparts probably don’t even know what a job is, but there are still real-world consequences that follow bad decisions from within the university bubble. You’re only as good as the company you keep, here. There is a lesson in there somewhere for these young bucks.

AP drones on to tell the tale of Owen Buxton, an Emerson College student and a film maker who was “shoved” into a bronze statue by law enforcement. Poor child can’t even think. It’s so hard to be creative these days:

It stifled all my creativity — I didn’t make anything for months, which is not typical of me.”-Owen Buxton

The supposed suffering experienced by the students quoted here is almost comical. One can’t focus on finishing a dissertation, and another doesn’t feel creative enough to make a film. Really, AP?

— Marcia Biederman (@MSBiederman) August 2, 2024

It is noteworthy to mention that Buxton was arrested twice for pro-Hamas activity on campus. Two separate times. Dos. Twice. But, alas, look at what has happened to this bright and shining star! His light has been dimmed and his creativity has been squashed. Not even the $60,000-per year tuition can prompt a creative spark from Owen Buxton. He can’t even. Pass the Kleenex.

But wait, there’s more. As if. Back to UMass:

As arrestees were processed at the university’s sports arena, graduate student Charles Sullivan, who is transgender, said they felt humiliated by campus police. An officer, Sullivan said, forced them to loudly describe their genitalia to gain access to a restroom.

Sullivan has since decided to leave the university to continue their studies, in part because of the arrest. Wrapping up a master’s degree in anthropology, Sullivan will move to Ohio in the fall to pursue a Ph.D., instead of continuing at UMass.

‘I think mostly I’m just kind of ready to get out of this place,’ Sullivan said.”-AP

Perhaps Charles would opt to study abroad in Gaza? The environment may be more (ahem) welcoming than Ohio! (Insert face palm here.)

Yes, there are consequences for participating in a group that will flood online message boards with threats to “slit the throats of Jewish people spotted on campus”. There are consequences for chalking hateful messages, chanting hateful chants and the hateful burning of flags. There are consequences for defacing property. These grown adults had a choice: to “protest” or to put their heads down and get their damn work done. They chose to side with terrorists over their own accomplishments, in part due to their tenured professors who condone and encourage this behavior. Their professors, the very ones they look up to and want to emulate, hosed them.

AP fails to mention all of this. Dissertations disrupted. Degrees delayed. PhD’s postponed. The inability to create and give birth to new ideas. Tragedy befalls them! My suggestion? The university system start teaching in the real world. First up? A FAFO (F–k Around and Find Out) 101 class for all incoming students at universities across the land.

Featured image via Joe Piette on Flickr, cropped, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED)