Some aspects of life are so well known that they are accepted as a given. One of those commonly accepted facts of life is corporate leadership.
Corporate leaders instruct their teams of managers to create a specific atmosphere at the workplace, and this can influence the attitudes of all employees within the company; from supermarkets to car-makers, the expected demeanor is evident among the workers.
A corporate mentality is reflected in the tone set by university presidents in the United States.
The past two years have seen private university leadership set a tone of fear and intimidation on the campuses of private universities like Columbia, Harvard and Cornell, which have stood out in media stories.
However, numerous public universities have also established the same tone on their campuses and sought to denigrate students protesting against Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people by calling them anti-Semites.
This is so even though a significant number of those protesters are themselves Jews who care about Palestinian lives and are ashamed by Israeli government policies.
Since coming into office in January, the Trump administration has added gasoline to the fire by withholding or threatening to withhold billions of dollars to universities that are perceived as being soft on student protesters.
An underlying goal of the administration seems to be to make illegal criticism of Israel.
Binghamton University is recognized as one of the leading U.S. public universities and is ranked #1 for New York State universities by Forbes magazine and The Wall Street Journal, and is the only New York State university ranked among the top 25 public universities in the United States.
The official Binghamton University online diversity page notes that “Binghamton strives to become a genuinely inclusive community where individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives feel valued and can learn from one another.”
Nice public relations touch.
The reality of diversity at Binghamton University is modified if one is a Palestinian or a supporter of a Free Palestine. The so-called American democratic right of opinion is not viewed favorably by Binghamton University.
Students who support a Free Palestine felt and experienced intimidation before October 7, 2023, and, since then, the intimidation and hate have magnified. Some graduate students claim ultra-right-wing Zionist students are auditing professors in a search for pro-Palestine comments and reporting the professors to the university administration.
Pro-Palestinian students wear masks at demonstrations for fear of university reprisals. Some pro-Palestinian students are not U.S. citizens and fear deportation if photographed. With this actually happening at nearby Cornell, the fear is justified.
Pro-Palestinian students firmly believe the Binghamton University administration is hostile to free speech on campus.
Pro-Palestinian students were threatened with administrative punishments if they did not end their Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions tents in May 2024. Students folded their tents.
About 60% of the students come from the greater New York City area, including Long Island.
Although the Jewish population is 5% of greater New York City, the Jewish population at Binghamton University is 26.2%, as noted by Hillel, which claims Binghamton University has the largest percentage of Jewish student population of all U.S. public universities.
Figures for other religions are not available; however, there is an active Catholic community, and the Muslim Association on Facebook reports 180 members.
In April 2024, Zionist students collected 5,800 signatures in opposition to BDS (boycotts, divestments, and sanctions) against Israel.
Pro-Palestinian students, many of them Jewish (including the daughter of a Rabbi), wear masks and ask that their names not be used in the media.
Some students have spoken to the media while wearing masks, acknowledging the risks involved. They tell of intimidation by Zionist students as daily encounters.
Intimidating tactics like being hissed at when entering a particular classroom, pictures posted online of pro-Palestinian students with nasty comments written below or above the photo, and spitting on Palestinian scarves (keffiyeh) by taunting Zionist students.
Another intimidation method noted by one Jewish student was the “Stare Down,” a guilt tactic used in her tradition and used by some Zionist students in dining halls. A Zionist student will come to a table and stare at a pro-Palestinian student and stare at them, sometimes for minutes.
When asked why these incidents were not reported, a SUNY Binghamton student smiled and said, “Not in this university.”
Palestinian supporters say they can take the intimidation of fellow students, but worry about retaliation from university leaders who will consider the recipients of the intimidation, the pro-Palestinian supporters, to be anti-Semitic.
The official listserv for Binghamton University students is B-Line. The B Line is sent via email to the staff as the top official news.
On October 7, 2025, the official university news of the day—sent to all students via B-Line— was a harsh scolding of pro-Palestinian students for holding a rally on October 7, the second anniversary of the day when the barbed-wire incarceration of the people of Gaza was cut through and run over with Hamas fighters who killed more than a thousand people and took Israeli captives.
The administration stated in B-Line on October 7th: “Today marks the anniversary of the day Hamas carried out an attack against Israel, a day of deep mourning for many in our community. Early today, Students for Justice in Palestine held a protest march of approximately 40 students [there were more than 100] monitored by university police to ensure safety and compliance.
Even if conducted peacefully, holding a protest on this solemn day is viewed by many as deeply insensitive. We ask all members of our community to exercise empathy and awareness when expressing their views, considering how and when to do so.”
The Students for Justice in Palestine conducted a peaceful procession through the university on October 7th, which was accompanied by provocative speeches from masked students. Statements were not hateful but demanded justice for the people of Gaza with frequent shouts of ‘Free, Free Palestine!’ They clearly told of not one day of terror but 75 years of Israeli terror, leading to October 7th and two years of genocide by the Israel Defense Forces.
One remarkable woman, asked to speak by Veterans for Peace of Binghamton, was Jade Ebanks, RN. Ms. Ebanks told of her months in Gaza and the West Bank last fall. She worked as an RN in numerous tents since Israel had destroyed hospitals. She spoke of the courage and resilience of the Palestinian people under constant bombardment as new life was being born.
Ebanks is also a poet, and she used her powerful voice to recite one of her poems. Here are a few lines:
You know in another lifetime, Palestine was the heart of the Middle East
Vibrant and thriving
Decorated by limestone
Kissed by grape, fig and olive trees
From the river to the sea, Palestine was free!
In 1948, the state of Israel was established, and Palestinians fell victim to their occupation
From apartheid to capitalism, settler colonialism, racism, imperialism, Nakba is what they called it….and Palestine would never be the same.
Fast forward, after 2 years and 2 days, we have witnessed the first live stream genocide in modern history.
Looking on but not speaking was a Muslim student from the Middle East who fears university retribution if she speaks. She did speak out following October 7, 2023, but soon began wearing a mask and refrained from speaking at rallies.
In December 2023, she traveled to Syracuse to lead a grave-digging action on the lawn outside the home of the then-Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who has long been captive to the so-called Israel Lobby.
Veterans for Peace in Albany, New York, organized the event with help from Binghamton VFP and Upstate New York Pax Christi. The Binghamton University student and nurse, Jaed Ebanks, spoke to the gathering.
Then, our now-silenced Binghamton University Arabic-language speaker, without a mask, chanted out the names of babies killed by the Israel Defense Forces.
Her sad chant filled the cold air of Syracuse. A grave was dug in front of the offices of Senators Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and the faux babies were buried by a long stream of mourners.
Today, with the retaliatory climate of the administration at Binghamton University, our Arabic-speaking student would not attempt to involve herself in such dramatic actions.
On November 1, 2025, the new president of Binghamton University, Anne D’Alleva, began her term.
Her credentials as a women’s rights professor and feminist advocate are outstanding.
Where she will lead Binghamton University will be known as she settles into her new surroundings and sets the tone for years to come.
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About the Author
Jack is an anti-drone activist.
His plays and novels focus on young men and women who resist war. You can read more at www.bensalmon.org.
Jack can be reached at: jgilroy1955@gmail.com.
