(NEW YORK) –This week, an anti-war activist group loudly disrupted Harvard University Professor Meghan L. O’Sullivan’s class, criticizing O’Sullivan for her role on the board of Raytheon Technologies. The protest, from a group unaffiliated with the University, ended only after O’Sullivan and many students exited into the hallway and security arrived.
Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, made the following comment:
“There is absolutely no excuse for a protest to disrupt classroom instruction so summarily, regardless of the professor’s political views, employment history, or professional affiliations. Universities must be places where instructors can teach and students can learn without this kind of interference. Professor O’Sullivan offered to discuss the matter with the protesters, but they shouted her down anyway. Interrupting learning while refusing to engage in a dialogue is prioritizing spectacle over the constructive engagement that should be a cornerstone of campus life.”