UF President Ben Sasse Leads The Way: “We just don’t negotiate with people who scream the loudest”
“You don’t get to take over the whole university. People don’t get to spit at cops, you don’t get to barricade yourselves in buildings. You don’t get to disrupt somebody else’s commencement.”
Former U.S. senator and current University of Florida president Ben Sasse leads on ensuring that everyone on his campus is safe and urges other university presidents to follow his lead.
University presidents everywhere need to embrace this simple statement by Ben Sasse, President of the University of Florida:
"At the University of Florida, we have repeatedly, patiently explained two things to protesters: We will always defend your rights to free speech and free…
— Michael Shermer (@michaelshermer) May 4, 2024
The full text of the above tweet as quoted from an incomprehensibly pay-walled WSJ op-ed:
“At the University of Florida, we have repeatedly, patiently explained two things to protesters: We will always defend your rights to free speech and free assembly—but if you cross the line on clearly prohibited activities, you will be thrown off campus and suspended. In Gainesville, that means a three-year prohibition from campus. That’s serious. We said it. We meant it. We enforced it. We wish we didn’t have to, but the students weighed the costs, made their decisions, and will own the consequences as adults. We’re a university, not a daycare. We don’t coddle emotions, we wrestle with ideas.”
Young men and women with little grasp of geography or history wade into geopolitics with bumper-sticker slogans they don’t understand. Universities have an obligation to combat this ignorance with rigorous teaching, writes @BenSassehttps://t.co/FdCaKLfYhq
— Wall Street Journal Opinion (@WSJopinion) May 4, 2024
Watch Sasse on CNN (Jake Tapper does not look happy to hear common sense Constitutionalism):
"I think the line is between speech and action."
University of Florida President @BenSasse reacts to the campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war in an interview with @jaketapper. pic.twitter.com/e3L3wTKKfJ
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 5, 2024
University of Florida President and ex-Sen. Ben Sasse on Sunday implored colleges to take his school’s lead and stake out a balance between free speech and order as anti-Israel protests take campuses by storm.
Sasse, 52, the former Republican senator from Nebraska, explained that as the head of the University of Florida, he has drawn the line between free speech and action.
“I’m a First Amendment zealot,” Sasse told CNN’s State of the Union.” “We will always defend your right to free speech and free assembly. And also, we have time, place, and manner restrictions.
“You don’t get to take over the whole university. People don’t get to spit at cops, you don’t get to barricade yourselves in buildings. You don’t get to disrupt somebody else’s commencement.”
. . . . “We just don’t negotiate with people who scream the loudest. It just doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said.
The University of Florida has roughly 6,500 Jewish undergraduate students, which is about 19% — the largest percentage of any institution in the country, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“I want everybody to feel safe here because I want everybody to be safe here. And I think right now everybody’s safe,” Sasse said.
Needless to say, people have thoughts.
Ben Sasse = first-class university president https://t.co/pXn0LWrWoI
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 5, 2024
Earlier this year, President Sasse fired the entire DEI department, eliminating a potential reservoir of support for pro-Hamas protestors and consolidating the administration around common sense priorities. The next move is to keep highlighting contrast with blue institutions.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) April 30, 2024
Ben Sasse's statement should be emailed to every college/university president across the country.
It is perfectly stated and succinct.
NOTHING else needs to be said.
NO discussion.
Period.
End of story.— BeeBee (@BabsBeeBee) May 5, 2024
This is outstanding. Kudos to @BenSasse for this declaration. https://t.co/eVhXVMeum2
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) May 4, 2024
"We don’t coddle emotions, we wrestle with ideas."
Damn!
— Dispeptic Patriot (@dispeptic) May 4, 2024
How a university president, or any adult in charge, is supposed to act: https://t.co/LO8B9X1R0b
— Gail Finke (@gailfinke) May 5, 2024
Take note, @Columbia – this is how you handle terrorist-sympathizing disruptors.
Thank you @BenSasse and @UF for having courage and doing the right thing. https://t.co/cKw55rtOmJ
— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) April 30, 2024
Since Hamas’ 10/7 attack on Israel, @BenSasse has truly handled his campus like a master class in supporting the constitution & protecting students rights to a safe & secure learning environment. He gets that these are teachable moments for young adults that still need guidance. https://t.co/HPz4PXCfVD
— Alissa Baker (@alissambaker) May 5, 2024
What a breath of fresh air
— Steve W (@s_wulch) May 4, 2024
The difference between someone who actually understands free speech principles (Ben Sasse) and those who hide behind the phrase to justify abhorrent and illegitimate behavior is obvious in this statement. https://t.co/ozSmMvyKJK
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 30, 2024
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Comments
Form a union. Then they have to negotiate with you.
Pithy comment.
Also, flaming hot dumpster full of garbage.
Do better.
Sadly this is par for him.
Paste some more quotes from your freshman reading list, you pretentious gimp.
Only about conditions or terms of employment–not because the protestors are wacko leftists–and since it’s pretty clear none of them work, I guess it’s a moot point
As a University of Florida graduate ‘87 I applaud how the leadership has handled this from the beginning. Being proactive and having a well thought out plan goes a long way to success.
As a taxpayer here in Florida I and millions of us work for a living and provide for our families and the last thing any of us want is to help rebuild a university because of petulant children being upset over a conflict that they probably know nothing about.
As someone who does not trust government nor any major institution and who values freedom and the right to speech and protest, I always say that whatever you do the consequences may not be pretty.
Finally, any student that did not follow the guidelines of the university they now must suffer whatever penalties comes their way.
Go UF
Go Florida
Go Gators!
The appetite to allow pro terrorist, genocide supporting, Hamas supporting antisemitic, Western Civilization hating neo Marxist, masked goons to run buck wild seems to have a distinctly limited geographical footprint. Outside the West coast and North East there seems to be vigorous pushback even in blue enclaves such as the University of Texas in (keep it weird) Austin.
It wouldn’t happen in a small town. Or anywhere in fly over country, just the socialist enclaves.
It’s amazing what one can do when they have a spine.
As the old saying goes, “an ounce of provention is better than a pound of cure”
Nice to see
So far haven’t seen any on campus BS coming out of Alabama, Miss, nor TN.
If it were to happen, I’d expect it to be VERY short lived. Unlike cop town take over in Atlanta.
Sasse is actually telling these kids ‘no’. They may never have been told that before.
https://pjmedia.com/graysonbakich/2024/05/04/george-washington-students-hold-peoples-tribunal-call-for-facultys-deaths-n4928772
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Reply
T. Turtle
T. Turtle
May 5, 2024 8:40 pm
Reply to sunnydaze
From the article:
“The next day, I mentioned how Travis County authorities in Austin, Texas, discoveredapparent weapons caches of chains, mallets, mallets, bricks, and even guns hidden throughout the site of the University of Texas’s site of protest on the campus.”
Clearly those “kids” don’t keep those things in their dorm rooms. This is exactly what we saw in 2020.
I’m surprised. Didn’t think Sasse had it in him.
It’s amazing what the word “no” does when applied properly. It’s something a majority of children have not heard in the past 25 years. It’s a shock to their system. FJB
Gee, I thought that No was one the the first words young children understood.
Congratulations to President Sasse for telling the Pro Hamas-Free Palestine activists NO. The activists are restricted from campus for three years; meaning their only option is to enter the transfer portal.
Speaking as a 1991 UF Law grad, I fully stand behind Ben Sasse’s statement. If he, the Alachua County DA and the State of Florida follow up with significant legal repercussions to those who violate the law, I will likely start giving to the UF for the first time in over thirty years.
As a 1987 UF grad (BA) I concur with your assessment. As for the State Attorney Brian Kramer for the 8th Circuit which covers Alachua County, is also an adjunct professor for the University of Florida. So the ball is in his court (pardon the pun).
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