A University of Massachusetts Amherst student faces a sudden setback in his plans to study abroad in Spain after participating in an anti-Israel sit-in on campus and police officers’ orders to leave has braved.
Aidan O’ Neill, a junior at UMass Amherst, along with two other students, had their study abroad credentials revoked after their involvement in an Oct. 25 protest in support of Palestinians led to arrests and disciplinary probation.
After refusing police orders to vacate the building as it closed at 6 p.m., 56 students, including O’Neill, and one staff member were arrested for trespassing, and subsequently placed on disciplinary probation until the end of the spring semester.
O’Neill’s eligibility to study abroad was subsequently revoked because he signed an agreement that prohibits students from participating in the program if they have pending legal or disciplinary action or if they are on academic probation.
The first protest on Oct. 25 involved 500 students demanding that UMass cut ties with defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, a manufacturer of missile parts for Israel’s Iron Dome.
Aidan O’ Neill (pictured), a junior at UMass Amherst, and two other students had their study abroad eligibility revoked following their involvement in a protest on October 25
After refusing police orders to leave a locked building, 56 students, including O’Neill, were arrested for trespassing, and subsequently placed on disciplinary probation
The protest demanded that UMass cut ties with defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, a producer of missile components for Israel’s Iron Dome.
The Iron Dome is an Israeli all-weather mobile air defense system that successfully intercepts more than 90 percent of projectiles. Since Hamas’s unprovoked massacre on October 7 More than 11,000 rockets have been fired at Israel.
O’Neill, along with faculty members, are now fighting back, emphasizing the right to express opposition to what they call the university’s alleged support for “genocide.”
“To lose my overseas eligibility at the last minute, that was just heartbreaking,” O’Neill told the Boston Globe. ‘As a student, I exercised my right to speak out against the university’s financing of a genocide. Frankly, it seemed crazy and absurd to me that the university would go to such lengths to punish me.”
The students claim their punishment is disproportionately harsh due to their political views, despite the university claiming it is merely adhering to established policy regardless of the content of the protest.
Faculty members, including Rachel Mordecai and Jason Moralee, have sided with O’Neill, denouncing the denial of his study abroad as an excessive punishment for “peaceful political expression.”
O’Neill “participated in a peaceful expression of his political beliefs,” Rachel Mordecai, O’Neill’s faculty adviser, told the Boston Globe.
“This denial of the opportunity to study abroad is a disproportionate punishment for what Aidan participated in.”
Mordecai wrote a letter in defense of O’Neill, signed by 23 other faculty members. The statement, obtained by the Globe, called O’Neill “an exceptionally successful and talented student.”
Pictured: Protesters and University of Massachusetts police during the October 25 sit-in
O’Neill’s eligibility to study abroad was subsequently revoked because he signed an agreement that prohibits students from participating in the program if they have pending legal or disciplinary action or if they are on academic probation.
O’Neill was scheduled to leave for Barcelona on Jan. 3 for his study abroad program, which he had been planning since last spring. Now the junior will be staying in his hometown of Scituate until the next semester starts in the spring.
The students were told weeks before their trip that they were no longer eligible, forcing them to pay thousands of dollars in fees and travel expenses. One student is now threatening to take legal action against the school.
Jason Moralee, the Associate Dean of Research and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, also advocated for O’Neill and the two other students by urging fellow administrators to quickly approve them to study abroad.
Moralee emphasized that students with code of conduct violations, academic probation or other issues are routinely allowed to study abroad.
He argued that students with clear credentials, like O’Neill’s, who participated in protests should not be hindered from participating in the study abroad program.
“Peaceful protest by exemplary students whose records are otherwise clear… is certainly an offense that in itself should not deter students from studying abroad,” he told the Globe.
But university spokesman Ed Blaguszewski defended the IPO’s decision, saying the decision is in line with the university’s past practices and the Student Agreement of Participation signed by each student.
O’Neill, along with faculty members, is now fighting back – emphasizing the right to express opposition to what they call the university’s alleged support for ‘genocide’
The students were told weeks before their trip that they were no longer eligible, forcing them to pay thousands of dollars in fees and travel expenses. One student is now threatening to take legal action against the school
“To participate in a UMass Amherst study abroad program, students must be in good academic standing with the university and adhere to the university’s code of conduct,” he said in a statement to the Globe.
“Consistent with the University’s past practice and the Student Agreement of Participation signed by each student, IPO has revoked the eligibility for these students to study abroad in the upcoming winter/spring term.”
Contrary to the university’s position, O’Neill and the other students argue that their disciplinary treatment differs from past practices.
Facing uncertainty, O’Neill and the other students were informed of their inability to study abroad on the last day of the semester, leaving them in a state of limbo.
One student, represented by attorney Shahily “Shay” Negrón, claims he is facing up to $20,000 in fees for the overseas program.
Negrón emphasized the emotional and financial toll the ordeal has taken on the student.
“They are extremely distraught,” Negrón told the Globe. “This entire ordeal has taken its toll on my client emotionally (and) financially.”
UMass “harmed my client because she exercised her right to free speech,” he added.
O’Neill said he is still considering participating in a study abroad program next year when his probation is over.
“If things had happened differently, I would be in Barcelona now, living with the host family and experiencing study abroad,” he told the Globe. ‘I feel really crushed by my university. I feel like they have betrayed my trust for the last time.”