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Some students may also face financial setbacks
Pro-Palestine protesters on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus lock arms after several demonstrators tore down fences and reopened an encampment. Rallies and protest camps persist at MIT as student protesters demand divestment from Israeli military ties. President Sally Kornbluth set a deadline for camp removal of May 6, 2024, threatening to suspend it.
Vicente Ricci | Light Rocket | Getty Images
“Suspended students do not receive tuition refunds,” Kantrowitz said.
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More than 100 students have been suspended across the U.S. in recent weeks, according to Kantrowitz, who made a rough calculation based on the news. The real number is probably much higher, but a federal regulation restricts how much colleges can publicly disclose about student suspensions.
The protests erupted in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after a Hamas attack on October 7 that Israel said killed 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza killed more than 34,000 people, including more than 14,000 children, according to local authorities and the United Nations.
Here’s what you should know about the financial risks for suspended and expelled student protesters.
According to an email reviewed by CNBC from Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth to the MIT community on Monday, students at camps were notified that they could face a range of punishments, from a warning in writing until an “immediate provisional total suspension”. The email says those consequences depended on factors such as whether the students agreed to voluntarily leave the camp at Kresge Lawn and whether they already had a pending case or sanction on their record from the campus disciplinary committee.
Those who receive the harshest sentence will not be able to reside in the designated residence hall or use MIT dining halls, although they will continue to have access to health services, the email said.
MIT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It is devastating for students who are denied these basic services,” he said. Martin Stolara New York lawyer who has defended protesters for decades.
In addition to the risk of losing their housing, suspended college students across the country may not be able to complete their courses and earn credits for them, Kantrowitz said, and likely will not receive tuition refunds.
It is devastating for students who are denied these basic services.
Martin Stolar
a lawyer in New York
It is unknown whether suspended or expelled students will receive any money left over from their meal plans, he said.
“Some colleges refund the remaining balance when the student is no longer in college, whether due to graduation, expulsion or some other reason,” he said. “Some colleges roll over the balance of credits to the following year. Other colleges do neither, so the student loses the balance.”
In recent weeks, students have been punished on charges of holding unauthorized camps that disrupt university life and infringe on the rights of their fellow students. Some students face charges of vandalism and destruction of property.
“There is a terrible humanitarian crisis occurring in Gaza that must be addressed, and I am personally distressed by the suffering and loss of innocent life occurring on both sides of this conflict,” said George Washington University President Ellen Granberg. wrote in a statement on Sunday.
“However, what is currently happening at GW is not a peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment or our university’s policies,” she said. “The demonstration, like many others across the country, has become something that can only be classified as an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property.”
But there are disagreements about when protesters exceed their rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit against Indiana University this month, accusing the college of violating the First Amendment rights of three plaintiffs who face a 1-year ban from leaving campus for their participation in political protests, including a tenured professor.
An Indiana University spokesperson said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Suspended or expelled students may also receive their federal student loan bills sooner than they expected, Kantrowitz said.
“Generally, if a student falls below part-time enrollment for at least six months, their student loans will be repaid,” he said.
Those who are unable to meet their payments have the option of deferring or forbearing their loans, he added. However, stopping loan payments can cause interest to accumulate and borrowers’ balances to increase.
If the suspension ends and a student returns to college before six months have passed, their grace period must be restarted, Kantrowitz said.
The U.S. Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how it notified protesting students about any financial impacts, including the possibility of an early start on their loan payments.
It’s possible for a suspension or expulsion to be marked on a student’s transcript, which could make it difficult to transfer to other colleges, get into graduate school and get jobs, Kantrowitz said.
However, this specific disciplinary action may not be viewed in the same way as other academic or conduct charges, Stolar said.
“We’re talking about people involved in protest activity, which is very different than something on your permanent record saying you cheated on a test or assaulted another student,” he said.