As the Israel-Palestine crisis continues, we have seen divisive rhetoric, dangerous incidents involving student safety and free speech, and contentious exchanges between groups with different viewpoints. We’ve also seen campuses, faculty, staff, and students find ways to come together to listen, learn, act, and support one another during such difficult times. At Campus Compact, we are always asking what practical resources can move our network and campuses forward in holding space for discussion and addressing the ongoing needs of students, campus leaders, and community members. These are just a few of the many resources our staff have been sitting with and learning from over the last several months. We hope these resources support your ongoing work and commitment to supporting students and our collective civic and community engagement mission.
Fostering civic discourse and dialogue
- Practicing Democracy: A Toolkit for Educating Civic Professionals, by Nicholas V. Longo
This free online toolkit from Campus Compact and AAC&U offers practical approaches and strategies for developing students’ capacity to engage in collaborative, public problem-solving.
- Guide to Dialogues about Israel-Palestine, Essential Partners & Sustained Dialogue Institute
This guide offers advice, general principles, and instructions to help you facilitate a constructive conversation about Israel-Palestine in multiple contexts.
- Principles and Strategies to Transform Conflict on College Campuses, Constructive Dialogue Institute
This recorded panel discussion features campus leaders who speak first-hand to difficulties that surface when confronting modern-day challenges on campuses
You may also be interested in registering for this upcoming virtual workshop (August 12-13, 2024) from the Constructive Dialogue Institute: Responding to Campus Crises: Strategies for Today and Resilience for Tomorrow
- Campus Free Expression: A New Roadmap, Bi-Partisan Policy Center
This report from BPC’s Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression offers ideas for a renewed approach to upholding academic freedom, free expression, and open inquiry
- Summary Report & Recommendation of Candid and Constructive Conversations Working Group, Harvard Kenney School
This report recommends a multi-year, schoolwide effort to strengthen our core competency in combatting polarization and entrenchment
- “Defining and Practicing Deep Civility on College Campuses,” HigherEd Today
By Ashley N. Woodson, Written as part of the American Council on Education’s (ACE) work on free speech and campus inclusion
- “Can Colleges Foster Civil Discourse?” Chronicle of Higher Education
This article by Erin Gretzinger examines what has worked and what hasn’t for discourse on college campuses surrounding the war in Gaza
- “What Promotes Pluralism in America’s Diversifying Democracy?” New Pluralists
In this paper, authors Justin Gest and Tyler Reny examine challenges that increasingly fuel division and how to address them.
Supporting safe protests and organizing for change
- PEN America’s Free Speech Guide provides practical, principled guidance for how campuses can best remain open to all voices. Some relevant readings include:
- “Know Your Rights: A Guide for Protestors,” National Lawyers Guild
This booklet aims to give people thinking about going to or organizing a protest information about best practices for interacting with law enforcement in-the-moment, as well as advance information to consider in order to assess risk and prepare for possible police encounters.
- FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
First published in 2005, FIRE's Guide to Free Speech on Campus tells students about their rights and how they can fight censorship on campus.
- Know Your Rights: Students’ Rights, ACLU
This guide helps students understand their rights by presenting a variety of scenarios
- Know Your Rights Guides, CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)
These guides offer information about more about what rights individuals have in a variety of situations and what to do if their rights are violated. - Resource Materials: Protest and Disruption Guidelines, University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement
This collection of resources was compiled to help you and your institution think through the purpose, content, and enforcement of your policy on protest and disruption.
- Beautiful Trouble Toolbox
This library of resources illustrates the key tactics, principles, methodologies, theories and stories used to create change through community organizing.
- “Dynamic Diversity: How Campus Leaders Can Respond to Student Protests,” Higher Ed Today
In this article, Liliana Garces and Uma Jayakumar discuss a new model for understanding critical mass, promoting inclusive environments and facilitating the benefits of educational diversity on campus.
- Building Resilience Ecosystem Map, Bridging Divides Initiative, Princeton University
Explore data on demonstrations and political violence in your area and connect with peacebuilding groups working to mitigate risk and build resilience.
- Hidden Healers
Hidden Healers is an interactive platform that offers resources to promote mental well-being for people of color, designed by young leaders for other leaders. It elevates, uplifts and centers culturally grounded healing practices from BIPOC communities.
- “Protests Magnify Concerns About Student Mental Health,” Inside HigherEd
This article by Jessica Blake shines a light on data from digital mental health platforms for college students that show an increased demand for counseling amid tensions stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
Combating racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism on campus
- Speaking Out Against Bigoted, Dehumanizing Rhetoric: What We Can Do, Princeton University Bridging Divides Initiative and the Western States Center
This paper documents the surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate incidents, explains the link between rhetoric and violence, and provides suggestions and resources to take action.
- National Education Association
- Resources to Counter Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial
Find a list of organizations that offer curriculum support and resources to address incidents of hate and bias in their school community. - Countering Islamaphobia
Resources to challenge anti-Muslim bias and create safer, more welcoming communities
- Resources to Counter Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial
- PEN America
These resources from PEN America offer resources and recommendations for handling antisemitism and islamaphobia on campuses
Contribute your resources
We aim for this collection to grow and expand based on the resources you have found most effective as you approach this work. When considering something to submit please consider the credibility of the source, its relevance to the public mission of higher education, and that it is useful to civic- and community-engaged faculty, practitioners, administrators, and students.
Please submit resources you would like to be considered for the collection to [email protected].
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in these readings and resources are intended to provoke thought and encourage conversation. They do not necessarily reflect those of Campus Compact or its members.