The incredible punishments being dished out to university students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests

Students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests last spring are now being punished by universities with lengthy suspensions and mandatory repentance essays.

As the fall semester begins, university officials are considering what disciplinary measures to take against the groups that have gathered on campus and set up camp, demanding that their schools cut financial ties with Israel.

At the University of Southern California, where protesters have repeatedly clashed with police, students are now facing a variety of consequences for their behavior.

Elizabeth Howell-Egan, a third-year law student, participated in two pro-Palestinian camps on campus more than four months ago.

Howell-Egan may have escaped arrest, but she says her punishment from university administrators is more severe.

As part of a “resolution process” for allegedly violating USC’s code of conduct during protests, the law student has now been banned from campus and classes. Her suspension could last until next spring.

“USC really leans on the idea that the process is the punishment,” Howell-Egan told the LA Times.

According to the school, the third-year law student was a leader of the protests, though she herself maintains that her role was limited to being a public liaison for police.

“I don’t know if they mean to make me regret our activism, but it does reinforce my beliefs,” Howell-Egan said.

Another part of the problem-solving process is for students to write an essay in which they reflect on their past actions.

USC’s Office of Community Expectations assigned Howell-Egan to write a four-page reflection, due in September.

In the essay, she is expected to share “personal thoughts, experiences and insights” about the protest and “how you might make different decisions in the future.”

According to the LA TimesStudents are prohibited from using the papers as a space to “justify” their actions or “evaluate the actions of others.”

Howell-Egan expected her actions to have consequences, but she finds the resolution process “absurd.”

No hearing has been scheduled at the school for the third year, raising further doubts about when she can return to school.

Some students at USC, as well as other California universities such as UCLA, UC Irvine and Cal Poly Humboldt, told the LA Times that the cases against them are extremely vague.

A number of graduates also indicated that they were unable to receive their diplomas because the record freezes have not yet been lifted.

Universities have wide latitude in determining internal charges against student protesters, experts noted, with each faculty applying its own evidentiary standards, investigation timelines and punishments.

Brian Glick, director of student conduct and community standards at Adelphi University, said USC’s actions are normal.

Interim suspensions, interviews with officials, panels prior to final decisions and contrition essays are all standard procedures, he said.

“As long as a university…treats one type of protest the same as others when it comes to disruptive violations and applies its own policies equally to students, they are within the norms,” Glick told the LA Times.

USC based its tuition costs on a “preponderance of evidence,” a criterion used by other leading California universities.

This type of standard is similar to the standard used in civil litigation and applies a much lower standard than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard used in criminal litigation.

According to the USC website, 74 students were fined for violating campus rules between two camps, leading to temporary suspensions for some of those involved over the summer.

In May, the university was forced to cancel its graduation ceremony after days of unrest on campus due to chaotic protests over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

In April, USC’s top student, Asna Tabassum, was banned from delivering a speech at the university’s graduation ceremony after she allegedly posted anti-Semitic messages on social media calling for the “complete abolition” of Israel.

A week later, protests broke out on campus and students set up their own camp in Gaza.

A confrontation soon broke out between police and protesters, resulting in their tent demonstrations being broken up.

Students responded by throwing objects at the officers, including a rock and water bottles.

At one point, a police car was surrounded by students as a protester was being detained. Police eventually released the man back into the crowd.

USC then sent out a message that the Los Angeles Police Department had been called in to assist in evacuating the campus.

“If you are in the center of campus, please leave; the LAPD will arrest anyone who does not leave,” the university said.

USC Provost Andrew Guzman sent an email to the entire campus saying the protesters were “threatening the safety of our officers and the campus community,” USC reported The Los Angeles Times.

“We have a well-articulated policy regarding restrictions on the time, place and manner of free speech,” Guzman said.

Rachel, a USC humanities student, was temporarily suspended for attending a camp. In order to return for the fall semester, she had to sign the student handbook and write a letter of apology.

She told the LA Times that she complied with both requests so that she could attend her classes.

“I can write whatever they want,” Rachel said. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t change my values.”