What
started as protests over offensive Halloween costumes and racial insensitivity
at Yale and the University of Missouri has spread to campuses—with thousands of
student- protesters across the country demanding an end to what they see as
systematic racism on campus.
At the University of Missouri, a student’s
hunger strike over racism, and an unprecedented football team boycott of future
games, led to President Tim Wolfe’s resignation. Protesters have succeeded in
ousting administrators at other campuses. These developments prove that student
activists have plenty of institutional power, and we ought to support their
right to flex their muscles and advocate for the changes they
want.
Unfortunately, a lot of these student activists have the First
Amendment in their crosshairs. At Amherst, students demanded the censorship of
pro- free speech fliers. At Yale, students demanded the firing of officials who
reaffirmed the right to wear offensive Halloween costumes. | 
