Education
How Counterprotesters at U.C.L.A. Provoked Violence, Unchecked for Hours
A satellite image of the UCLA campus.
On Tuesday night, violence erupted at an encampment that pro-Palestinian protesters had set up on April 25.
The image is annotated to show the extent of the pro-Palestinian encampment, which takes up the width of the plaza between Powell Library and Royce Hall.
The clashes began after counterprotesters tried to dismantle the encampment’s barricade. Pro-Palestinian protesters rushed to rebuild it, and violence ensued.
Arrows denote pro-Israeli counterprotesters moving towards the barricade at the edge of the encampment. Arrows show pro-Palestinian counterprotesters moving up against the same barricade.
Police arrived hours later, but they did not intervene immediately.
An arrow denotes police arriving from the same direction as the counterprotesters and moving towards the barricade.
A New York Times examination of more than 100 videos from clashes at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that violence ebbed and flowed for nearly five hours, mostly with little or no police intervention. The violence had been instigated by dozens of people who are seen in videos counterprotesting the encampment.
The videos showed counterprotesters attacking students in the pro-Palestinian encampment for several hours, including beating them with sticks, using chemical sprays and launching fireworks as weapons. As of Friday, no arrests had been made in connection with the attack.
To build a timeline of the events that night, The Times analyzed two livestreams, along with social media videos captured by journalists and witnesses.
The melee began when a group of counterprotesters started tearing away metal barriers that had been in place to cordon off pro-Palestinian protesters. Hours earlier, U.C.L.A. officials had declared the encampment illegal.
Security personnel hired by the university are seen in yellow vests standing to the side throughout the incident. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the security staff’s response.
Mel Buer/The Real News Network
It is not clear how the counterprotest was organized or what allegiances people committing the violence had. The videos show many of the counterprotesters were wearing pro-Israel slogans on their clothing. Some counterprotesters blared music, including Israel’s national anthem, a Hebrew children’s song and “Harbu Darbu,” an Israeli song about the Israel Defense Forces’ campaign in Gaza.
As counterprotesters tossed away metal barricades, one of them was seen trying to strike a person near the encampment, and another threw a piece of wood into it — some of the first signs of violence.
Attacks on the encampment continued for nearly three hours before police arrived.
Counterprotesters shot fireworks toward the encampment at least six times, according to videos analyzed by The Times. One of them went off inside, causing protesters to scream. Another exploded at the edge of the encampment. One was thrown in the direction of a group of protesters who were carrying an injured person out of the encampment.
Mel Buer/The Real News Network
Some counterprotesters sprayed chemicals both into the encampment and directly at people’s faces.
Sean Beckner-Carmitchel via Reuters
At times, counterprotesters swarmed individuals — sometimes a group descended on a single person. They could be seen punching, kicking and attacking people with makeshift weapons, including sticks, traffic cones and wooden boards.
StringersHub via Associated Press, Sergio Olmos/Calmatters
In one video, protesters sheltering inside the encampment can be heard yelling, “Do not engage! Hold the line!”
In some instances, protesters in the encampment are seen fighting back, using chemical spray on counterprotesters trying to tear down barricades or swiping at them with sticks.
Except for a brief attempt to capture a loudspeaker used by counterprotesters, and water bottles being tossed out of the encampment, none of the videos analyzed by The Times show any clear instance of encampment protesters initiating confrontations with counterprotesters beyond defending the barricades.
Shortly before 1 a.m. — more than two hours after the violence erupted — a spokesperson with the mayor’s office posted a statement that said U.C.L.A officials had called the Los Angeles Police Department for help and they were responding “immediately.”
Officers from a separate law enforcement agency — the California Highway Patrol — began assembling nearby, at about 1:45 a.m. Riot police with the L.A.P.D. joined them a few minutes later. Counterprotesters applauded their arrival, chanting “U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.!”
Just four minutes after the officers arrived, counterprotesters attacked a man standing dozens of feet from the officers.
Twenty minutes after police arrive, a video shows a counterprotester spraying a chemical toward the encampment during a scuffle over a metal barricade. Another counterprotester can be seen punching someone in the head near the encampment after swinging a plank at barricades.
Fifteen minutes later, while those in the encampment chanted “Free, free Palestine,” counterprotesters organized a rush toward the barricades. During the rush, a counterprotester pulls away a metal barricade from a woman, yelling “You stand no chance, old lady.”
Throughout the intermittent violence, officers were captured on video standing about 300 feet away from the area for roughly an hour, without stepping in.
It was not until 2:42 a.m. that officers began to move toward the encampment, after which counterprotesters dispersed and the night’s violence between the two camps mostly subsided.
The L.A.P.D. and the California Highway Patrol did not answer questions from The Times about their responses on Tuesday night, deferring to U.C.L.A.
While declining to answer specific questions, a university spokesperson provided a statement to The Times from Mary Osako, U.C.L.A.’s vice chancellor of strategic communications: “We are carefully examining our security processes from that night and are grateful to U.C. President Michael Drake for also calling for an investigation. We are grateful that the fire department and medical personnel were on the scene that night.”
L.A.P.D. officers were seen putting on protective gear and walking toward the barricade around 2:50 a.m. They stood in between the encampment and the counterprotest group, and the counterprotesters began dispersing.
While police continued to stand outside the encampment, a video filmed at 3:32 a.m. shows a man who was walking away from the scene being attacked by a counterprotester, then dragged and pummeled by others. An editor at the U.C.L.A. student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, told The Times the man was a journalist at the paper, and that they were walking with other student journalists who had been covering the violence. The editor said she had also been punched and sprayed in the eyes with a chemical.
On Wednesday, U.C.L.A.’s chancellor, Gene Block, issued a statement calling the actions by “instigators” who attacked the encampment unacceptable. A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized campus law enforcement’s delayed response and said it demands answers.
Los Angeles Jewish and Muslim organizations also condemned the attacks. Hussam Ayloush, the director of the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called on the California attorney general to investigate the lack of police response. The Jewish Federation Los Angeles blamed U.C.L.A. officials for creating an unsafe environment over months and said the officials had “been systemically slow to respond when law enforcement is desperately needed.”
Fifteen people were reportedly injured in the attack, according to a letter sent by the president of the University of California system to the board of regents.
The night after the attack began, law enforcement warned pro-Palestinian demonstrators to leave the encampment or be arrested. By early Thursday morning, police had dismantled the encampment and arrested more than 200 people from the encampment.
Fill in the blank: I’m feeling “blank” about the
way things are going in the country these days. Fill in the blank: I’m
feeling “blank” about the
way things are going in
the country these days.
Anaka, 23, Pa., Black, ind.
Alaura, 23, Tenn., white, ind.
Darrion, 26, Ind., Black, Rep.
President Trump is trying to remake the global economy. He’s overseeing a much more restrictive and aggressively enforced immigration policy. Artificial intelligence is, potentially, about to change everything. In the past five years, everyone has lived through a pandemic and serious inflation for the first time in generations.
In Opinion’s latest focus group, we spoke with 13 young people — 12 relatively recent college grads and one rising college senior — navigating the rocky surface of all this change in America, about issues ranging from Mr. Trump’s presidency to how they’re using A.I. in everyday life.
How much the economy of the past five years has shaped the mind-set of 20-somethings really came through in the conversation. The group described doubts about the degrees they sought, worries and frustrations about the cost of living, dreams that emphasized financial stability and making money, the realities of still getting help from family and the enduring economic and social effects of the pandemic on their generation. “I think it made us less social and more on our phones,” one participant said. “It was really isolating.”
All of this, including real divides in the group about systemic factors and individual ambition, led to some big questions, the kind you might be asking yourself: Is America in decline, or are the best days ahead? Is America the kind of place where, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can thrive? And most important, what would you want to know about your future?
Participants
Alaura 23, Tennessee, white, independent, mental health care
Anaka 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
Armaan 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
Bayleigh 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
Conner 23, Florida, white, Republican, master’s student, server
Daniel 26, Georgia, white, independent, landscaper
Darrion 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
Emily 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
Evan 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
Heather 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
Jeff 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
Jonnie 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
Molly 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
Transcript
Moderator, Margie Omero
Fill in the blank: I’m feeling “blank” about the way things are going in the country these days.
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
Hesitant.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
Disappointed.
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
Honestly, I was going to say the same: Disappointed.
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
Yeah, disappointed, not hopeful.
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
Nervous.
Alaura, 23, Tennessee, white, independent, mental health care
Interested.
Daniel, 26, Georgia, white, independent, landscaper
Fearful and uncertain.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
Sad.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
Nervous.
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
Optimistic.
Conner, 23, Florida, white, Republican, master’s student, server
I’m going to say “optimistic” as well.
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
Worried.
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
Cautiously optimistic.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Darrion and Jeff, why “optimistic”?
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
I feel the economy, inflation, prices are going to get a little rough before they get rosy. But in the long run, it’s going to get better under the new president and all that, I think I have faith in him to do well.
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
There’s always going to be issues, regardless of who’s running the country, but I feel like the leaders of our country all have the same interests at heart, which is to improve the country, even though the way they’re going to go about doing that is different.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Alaura, tell me why you said “interested.”
Alaura, 23, Tennessee, white, independent, mental health care
I’m just interested in how it’s all going to play out, whether it’s tariffs or cutting funding for various government agencies.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Molly, you said “sad.”
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I think I knew the outcome of the election wouldn’t be what I wanted. And it wasn’t. And going into this administration, I had an idea of what things would look like. You can have those expectations, but living through it — waking up to the news every day of this next thing that’s happening, this next structure that’s being threatened or challenged, this next thing that’s being stripped away from us — it just gives me an overwhelming feeling of sadness and genuine despair.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Emily, you said “disappointed, not hopeful.”
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
Just disappointed, I think, in the economy and the way things are going and the way things cost so much. It just makes me feel like I’ll never be able to afford a house or get out on my own.
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
I agree with Emily. As someone who lives at home with her parents, it’s hard to think about some of the good things nationally just because I can’t afford to live on my own. I just get worried about things that I probably won’t be able to do until I’m a certain age or things like that, where you’re young and you want to experience things, but it’s hard when things cost so much.
or the same four years from now? Do you think things will
be better, worse or the same
four years from now?
Alaura,
23, Tenn., white, ind.
Conner,
23, Fla., white, Rep.
Darrion,
26, Ind., Black, Rep.
Emily,
20, N.J., white, ind.
Evan,
23, N.Y., Latino, Rep.
Jeff,
25, Utah, white, Rep.
Jonnie,
27, Mo., Latino, Dem.
Anaka,
23, Pa., Black, ind.
Armaan,
23, Mass., Asian, Rep.
Molly,
21, Ill., white, Dem.
Bayleigh,
24, Texas, white, Dem.
Daniel,
26, Ga., white, ind.
Heather,
23, Ore., white, Dem.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Bayleigh, why do you think it will be the same?
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
It’ll be the end of Trump’s administration, but I think the instability will remain consistent through the next four years.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Evan, what makes you think things will be better?
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I would just hope they’ll learn from their past mistakes. After four years, if you don’t get better or something, then what are you doing? So I would just hope. But from real life experience, knowing someone with immigration problems, I worry things will get worse because there’s no real structure to help people that have been here for years, that helped grow the economy, have been working and contributing and whatnot. People who shop at Walmart, who drive the cabs. They’re helping the economy. The ones trafficking people, those kinds of people, they should go. So I would just hope that the leaders’ habits would change. But sometimes they can just be the same.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I just think this administration will stabilize. I think it’s scaring a lot of people. Maybe I’m just being hopeful, too. But I think inflation will probably be better by then. I can’t imagine this direction forever. I think things will just stabilize.
in his second term so far, how would you grade him? If you were to give Trump
a grade on how he’s doing in
his second term so far, how
would you grade him?
Alaura,
23, Tenn., white, ind.
Conner,
23, Fla., white, Rep.
Emily,
20, N.J., white, ind.
Evan,
23, N.Y., Latino, Rep.
Jeff,
25, Utah, white, Rep.
Anaka,
23, Pa., Black, ind.
Daniel,
26, Ga., white, ind.
Jonnie,
27, Mo., Latino, Dem.
Armaan,
23, Mass., Asian, Rep.
Bayleigh,
24, Texas, white, Dem.
Molly,
21, Ill., white, Dem.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I gave him a C. Nothing horrible has happened, really. I guess that makes it OK. But at the same time, tariffs and stuff — I don’t like that.
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I gave him a B. I like how he’s trying to basically put certain countries on blast, or he’s giving them a stern warning about the products they’re sending us and their prices. He’s very smart in that regard of making sure that low-income consumers can buy products at a good rate. And I would say on immigration and whatnot, I think he’s doing pretty good. But then again, he’s even deporting people by accident and sending them to the crazy jail and across the world and whatnot, and they actually didn’t do anything. So I would say he cares about deporting immigrants, the ones that are doing bad, but then at the same time, he’s not knowing how to distinguish which ones are bad.
Moderator, Margie Omero
But that still leads you to a B?
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I like how stern he is, how focused he is on at least trying to get something done. But I mean, I feel as though Trump actually cares about creating change. Pep in his step, at least. Biden was, like, a Sleepy Joe.
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
I gave him a C. I think it’s a little bit positive and negative. I’m positive in the sense that I like the way he’s portraying the image of America on an international scale, like the trade wars, tariffs and all that. And negatively because of his impact in cryptocurrency and the stock market. He created the $Trump coin, and since then, the crypto market has not really been the same. There’s been a lot of uncertainty, like bearishness and all that. So that’s negative.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
How are you or people you know experiencing the job market right now?
Daniel, 26, Georgia, white, independent, landscaper
I think it sucks. I think it’s the worst it’s ever been. It feels like there are thousands of people applying for a single job. I just feel like ever since Covid, things have been shifted and changed for the worse in the work force.
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
I just graduated about a month ago with a degree in information security, which I think is very highly technical. There are definitely jobs out there. The problem isn’t the market; it’s hiring managers and companies saying, “We don’t necessarily care about your degree. We want you to have four to five years of experience for an entry-level role.” The companies are just holding unrealistic standards for what entry level is.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
What do you feel like an entry-level job should be like? When you have your first job, what’s the kind of experience you should be getting out of it?
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
It should build off of the degree that you get in college or — not everyone goes to college — the certifications you get in trade school, for example. It should include mentorship from senior employees and have tasks that introduce you to what more advanced things are going to be like. And they should be able to train and build you up on the job.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Heather, how do you feel like the job market is today?
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
I have a job, and I think it always feels different when you don’t have one and are looking for one. But I’ve heard similar things to Jeff. It’s like the entry-level positions are wanting people with all this experience, where it’s not possible. I would say it’s not too good right now.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What’s going well or less well for you personally?
Conner, 23, Florida, white, Republican, master’s student, server
I’m looking at my finances, and I’m hoping that it’s going in a better direction.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I guess my personal life is going pretty well. Less well is I have no idea how I’m going to survive without my parents’ help or what I’m going to really do in the future.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
I graduated last December, and I got my first real job paying me more than minimum wage. So you guys hang in there, for sure.
Moderator, Margie Omero
For folks who feel that things are not going well for them personally, who or what is standing in the way?
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
I do think the job market’s not in the best place right now. My friends and I just graduated over the summer, and we’re all looking for jobs. There are very few of us who have managed to even get to an interview position. I know people who are applying to upwards of, like, 80 and 100 jobs a day, because they assume it’s just volume that you have to go to eventually land that job.
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
I landed my first real job, too. That’s helped me get over what was a big slump in my life. I felt really upset about myself. I was like, “I just got a degree. I’m smart. I know what I’m doing.” And nobody’s hiring, and nursing is a pretty big field. But it’s worked out now.
Moderator, Margie Omero
How does your life compare with how you thought it might be at this stage in your life?
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I guess I thought maybe I’d be a little farther ahead, like maybe have a house or something, which now is so unrealistic.
Conner, 23, Florida, white, Republican, master’s student, server
I thought that postgrad, at least with my bachelor’s, that I would be moved out, living on my own. And now it just doesn’t make any sense. But it’s just not realistic. It would be unwise to move out.
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I’ve always been optimistic and practical about life. About five years ago, they gave away those stimulus checks. Everybody around me spent theirs, but I saved mine. I’m very grateful to have freedom every day to just work, to live. I’m perfectly fine. I’m just going to continue to have good structure in my life.
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
I thought I would be a lot more independent from my parents. But I still feel pretty reliant on them.
How many people are living with family
members or are otherwise financially dependent
in some way on their family currently? How many people are living with
family members or are otherwise
financially dependent in some way
on their family currently? 9 people raised their hands.
Alaura, 23, Tenn., white, ind.
Anaka, 23, Pa., Black, ind.
Armaan, 23, Mass., Asian, Rep.
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Dem.
Conner, 23, Fla., white, Rep.
Daniel, 26, Ga., white, ind.
Darrion, 26, Ind., Black, Rep.
Emily, 20, N.J., white, ind.
Evan, 23, N.Y., Latino, Rep.
Heather, 23, Ore., white, Dem.
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Rep.
Jonnie, 27, Mo., Latino, Dem.
Molly, 21, Ill., white, Dem.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What do you hope for yourself in the next five years? Heather?
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
I’m 23. I think that’s a little old to be living with my parents. But I got my degree and am working on that job right now. I’d like to find a single job, just one, that can hopefully pay my bills — rather than working two, like I am now — and make me live on my own.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What do you see for yourself or hope for yourself in the next 20 or 30 years?
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
In 20 years, 30 years, I’d like to have a business that’s just paying the bills and an offshoot of that business or another business that essentially is what grants me financial freedom to just enjoy my life and maybe even help other people along the way.
Daniel, 26, Georgia, white, independent, landscaper
I’d like to be completely financially stable, have a house, have kids, be able to support them all through college.
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
Along with affording my own home, I hope I’ll be able to have a higher-level management position. And I hope by that point, I’ll be able to just live a good life with family and some golden retrievers as well. That’s the dream.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I definitely think, yeah, very successful, married, kids, nice house, I hope all of that.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I just want to be healthy, have food in the pantry, a roof over my head — and an in-unit washer and dryer would be my dream, honestly — but financially independent.
Moderator, Margie Omero
How achievable do you think your dream is?
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
One thing that I’ve tried to get away from is never putting my success or my failures in the hands of other people. I just want to put my faith in myself rather than in people who make policy decisions in Washington. And I want to be in complete control.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
A couple of people mentioned Covid this evening. In terms of the impact that the pandemic had on your life, is there anything that you feel older people don’t get about the impact of the pandemic on you and people in your age bracket?
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
Learning was so different because a lot of it was online. I’m not sure older people always get that.
Conner, 23, Florida, white, Republican, master’s student, server
I feel like our momentum slowed, because most of us were coming out of high school and going right into college. And I just feel like that time period during the pandemic either slowed us down or the companies that we would have been on track to work for laid off a bunch of their employees and are just keeping their core employees, and now they’ve gotten comfortable with just those employees. We’re the generation looking for jobs.
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
I was supposed to join college that year, but then because of Covid, I chose to defer a year and instead take that year to work with my dad in the family business.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
Covid, at least for me and the people I know, I think it made us less social and more on our phones. It was really isolating.
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I feel like Covid made people feel — maybe it made people lazier. A lot of people I know dropped out of college. It felt like time was slowing down or on hold because Covid made things pause. You just got to be in your house or hang out with your friends, not thinking about life. I think some people started to care less about what they’re actually cultivating for their life.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
I agree that Covid made us less social. I think it’s hard for us to talk to each other outside of our phones. We’re watching other people’s lives that look more successful than us. So there’s that false sense of competition that we have to deal with. There’s so much competition. And at the same time, we’re not talking to each other. So yeah, there’s definitely a sense of isolation in my generation. And I don’t think that was there before.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Let’s switch gears a bit.
personally use artificial intelligence? How often would you
say you personally use
artificial intelligence?
Bayleigh,
24, Texas, white, Dem.
Heather,
23, Ore., white, Dem.
Molly,
21, Ill., white, Dem.
Alaura,
23, Tenn., white, ind.
Anaka,
23, Pa., Black, ind.
Daniel,
26, Ga., white, ind.
Emily,
20, N.J., white, ind.
Jeff,
25, Utah, white, Rep.
Armaan,
23, Mass., Asian, Rep.
Conner,
23, Fla., white, Rep.
Darrion,
26, Ind., Black, Rep.
Evan,
23, N.Y., Latino, Rep.
Jonnie,
27, Mo., Latino, Dem.
Moderator, Margie Omero
The people who are using it every day, tell me how you’re using it.
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I use it to help me with shopping and personal advice, job advice, diet and exercise advice, advice on everything — really, finances. I use it like a friend.
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
I just started making content on YouTube and Twitch, and I use A.I. to write scripts.
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
I think it’s become like the new Google for me. Any sort of information I need, instead of going and typing it in Google, I just go to the app because I think it provides a little more in-depth analysis than Google would.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Has anybody used it for classwork?
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
I’ll be honest. I use it for everything I do in school. I’ll give it my finance homework questions, honestly, because it’s like I’m never going to pass that class without it, because I just can’t understand it. This is simply the only way. I’ll use it to help me with papers to generate ideas.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Do you think it’s helped you learn more in those classes?
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
I think it has made it easier. I feel like I’m using A.I. mostly in the classes where I don’t feel like the professor’s doing a good job at teaching me. Not everyone is made to be a teacher. Some of my professors also encourage me to use A.I.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
We’re seeing an issue with the job market for entry-level jobs that require experience, and A.I. has taken some of the experiences that I guess we were supposed to be hands-on with.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Does anyone else think A.I. is replacing the entry-level job, so you need to come in with a little bit more experience?
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
I think that’s coming from both sides. I can tell when a job description was written by A.I., and I think there are a lot more graduates, more than the country has ever seen. Everyone I know has either been to college and graduated or at least tried to go. So it’s just an intense time.
Moderator, Margie Omero
I want to hear from some people who don’t use A.I. that often.
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
I never really got on the A.I. bandwagon, really. I used Quizlet, I think, as a way some people were using A.I., and some classes, it feels like it’s giving you a little bit of an upper hand. So I think I tried to get away from that a little bit, because I didn’t want my future self to regret it.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Why would your future self regret it?
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
Just because I think it would give me an upper hand. It would give me answers. And I don’t know, part of school is you really thinking about certain things. So I kind of wanted to actually do that in my last couple of years rather than use the internet.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
A.I. just really freaks me out. In general, I don’t understand it, and I don’t want to be a part of it, really. I don’t want to give it information. I don’t want to help it learn.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What’s going to happen?
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I just don’t like these big A.I. companies. I feel like they’re not very well regulated at this point. I have read about how terrible some of these things are for the environment. I don’t want to be judgmental, because I know how common it is, but I just see no need for it in my life.
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
I use A.I. just to help with my job functions. I feel like it’s definitely helped me become a little bit more efficient with the way that I do things.
Daniel, 26, Georgia, white, independent, landscaper
I don’t really use A.I. too much. It’s kind of affecting the job market, though, because it’s doing everything that a person could be doing, and it’s sifting through all the applications, maybe a person would see a certain résumé more positively than an A.I. would. It’s just too robot-y.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
How do you feel about the role that social media plays in your life?
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
I personally only follow people that I know, and I have a private account, and I enjoy it. I only let people I know follow me. So it kind of feels like when my friends are away on trips and I’m looking at their story, I feel like I’m there with them. I do sometimes doomscroll on TikTok if I have too much time. And then I’ll start seeing things that people are accomplishing. And I’m like, “Man, I’m so behind.” So it’s definitely like a seesaw. You have to balance. And I think I’m getting better at that.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
Social media used to be something that I wanted to use to interact with my loved ones. But I don’t think I want to use it for that anymore. As of right now, it just seems negative. I looked up what too much screen time does to your brain. And it is actually, like, diminishing gray matter. So in my generation and below, our gray matter is, like, being ruined. So I don’t know. I’m mad at social media. Yet I am still an avid social media user. But we don’t know a life without it. It’s like an addiction.
behind us or happening now? Are America’s best days
ahead of us, behind us or
happening now?
Alaura,
23, Tenn., white, ind.
Conner,
23, Fla., white, Rep.
Daniel,
26, Ga., white, ind.
Darrion,
26, Ind., Black, Rep.
Evan,
23, N.Y., Latino, Rep.
Jonnie,
27, Mo., Latino, Dem.
Molly,
21, Ill., white, Dem.
Armaan,
23, Mass., Asian, Rep.
Bayleigh,
24, Texas, white, Dem.
Emily,
20, N.J., white, ind.
Anaka,
23, Pa., Black, ind.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I don’t know, but I think about the past, about the history of this country — I don’t think those were our best days. I don’t think our best days are now. That leaves the future.
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
I actually think that the trade wars and tariffs are a step in the right direction for the country. So I have hope for better days ahead.
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
Because of what we’re currently going through, I just don’t feel positively about our future.
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
I just don’t see the country ever being united again as it used to be or people loving it anymore.
Moderator, Margie Omero
When you say “united again as it used to be,” when was that time, do you think?
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
Maybe, like, the early 2000s. I don’t think people were so against each other like now. I feel like it’s just like you’re either this or that. And it’s so far apart. I just feel like there wasn’t so much hate going on. Maybe that doesn’t sound right, but that’s what I think.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Anaka, you said our best days are happening now.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
I feel like history repeats itself. We’re always going to be living in the worst and the best times because of human nature. Social media, it kind of exacerbates a lot of opinions. But in real life, we’re all speaking right now about each other’s opinions. And there’s not one where I can’t get into someone’s head and think, “OK, I understand,” even if maybe I don’t agree. The time is now because we’re alive now.
statement? If you work hard and play by the
rules, you can have a good life and thrive. How much do you agree with
this statement? If you work
hard and play by the rules, you
can have a good life and thrive.
1 means I completely disagree. and 5 means I agree completely.
2
Anaka,
23, Pa., Black, ind.
Molly,
21, Ill., white, Dem.
3
Alaura,
23, Tenn., white, ind.
Armaan,
23, Mass., Asian, Rep.
Bayleigh,
24, Texas, white, Dem.
Conner,
23, Fla., white, Rep.
Daniel,
26, Ga., white, ind.
Darrion,
26, Ind., Black, Rep.
Emily,
20, N.J., white, ind.
4
Evan,
23, N.Y., Latino, Rep.
Jeff,
25, Utah, white, Rep.
Jonnie,
27, Mo., Latino, Dem.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I just think it’s, like, that pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps mentality that I don’t really think is true. The American dream is like, if you just work hard, you’re going to have all the successes. You’re going to have a McMansion in the suburbs and a pool and five kids. And it’s just not the reality. You can work so, so, so hard and never reach those goals you have in your mind or those goals that have been artificially set for you.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Evan, you said it was mostly true that if you played by the rules and worked hard, you could have a good life. Why?
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I feel like everything is mostly within your hands. Everything is for the taking. And as long as you don’t do the wrong thing, tax evasion and whatnot, you could do whatever you want. You could be very successful.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Let’s think a little about the big picture. Many of you recently graduated. What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you were in high school?
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
I wish I’d known more about cryptocurrency. I wish when I was in high school, I was able to get some coins. I think I would have been very rich by now.
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
I chose my university based on the co-op program, where you work for six months at a place. And I wanted to try a start-up, as well as an established corporate business. So I would probably go the other route and just do corporate because they would be more likely to hire in this day and age and not a smaller start-up.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I wish I would have appreciated being younger and being in high school more than I did. I think you always have a tendency to want to be older, want to be in college, want something different. You never appreciate it fully in the moment.
Daniel, 26, Georgia, white, independent, landscaper
I would say, go for a degree that actually matters. All degrees matter, but something that is going to get me a job, like a nurse, an engineer, a software engineer, something with computers. I went for a business degree. And I just feel like it’s a good, rounded degree to have. But I don’t know.
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
I would probably tell myself to be more open-minded earlier on, about everything, anything.
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
I would tell myself to save my money instead of spending it in stupid places. And I would also tell myself that nothing is ever that serious. I spent a lot of high school stressing out a lot and having a lot of anxiety about a lot of things. I just look back on it now and think, “You’re never going to remember that teacher or that one grade.” It’s not that deep. Some things are not that deep.
Moderator, Margie Omero
If you could ask a question of your older self and your older self had to tell you the truth, what would you ask?
Jeff, 25, Utah, white, Republican, cybersecurity analyst
I think the biggest piece of career advice — how I can escalate up the ladder as quickly as possible.
Anaka, 23, Pennsylvania, Black, independent, program coordinator
Are you happily married? And how did you fix your credit score?
Jonnie, 27, Missouri, Latino, Democrat, looking for work
I would ask, “Is there any person I should avoid, any types of people I should avoid?”
Conner, 23, Florida, white, Republican, master’s student, server
I would ask him if it was worth it to get a master’s or if I could do it without, because it’s a lot of money to spend for a career.
Armaan, 23, Massachusetts, Asian, Republican, looking for work
I would probably ask if I’m on the right path or not.
Bayleigh, 24, Texas, white, Democrat, nurse
I have zero idea. I don’t think I want to know.
Evan, 23, New York, Latino, Republican, administrative assistant
I’d probably ask him, “How can I tell where the success is at?” I want to be like Kevin Durant. I want to join all the shooters. I want to join All-Stars. I want to be at the right place at the right time. I want to be with the right people. So I want to just know where the process is at.
Darrion, 26, Indiana, Black, Republican, automotive engineer
What is the price of Bitcoin, and what projects would be best to invest in?
Heather, 23, Oregon, white, Democrat, assistant
Do we have a job that my degree is catered toward?
Emily, 20, New Jersey, white, independent, student, fitness instructor
I’d ask if we have a lot of money and if we’re happy.
Alaura, 23, Tennessee, white, independent, mental health care
I would ask my 40-year-old self if there’s anything that I should do that I might not be aware of.
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
Am I happy?
Moderator, Margie Omero
What do you think your 40-year-old self is going to say?
Molly, 21, Illinois, white, Democrat, looking for work
I have no idea. I hope they say yes.
As President Trump and his team dialed up the pressure on Harvard University last month, threatening to bar its international students, the school issued what was at once a warning and a plea.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” school officials wrote in a lawsuit asking a judge to stop the federal government’s actions.
It left unsaid what Harvard, if it were no longer Harvard, would become.
It’s a scenario that some inside Harvard are beginning to imagine and plan for as the Trump administration lobs attacks from all angles, seeking to cut the university off from both students and billions of dollars in federal funding.
Top leaders at Harvard, one of the nation’s oldest universities, including its provost, John F. Manning, a conservative legal scholar who once clerked for the former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, are meeting more frequently to strategize.
The school’s board of trustees, the Harvard Corporation, has discussed whether hundreds, if not thousands, of people will need to be laid off.
And on 8:30 a.m. Zoom calls once or twice a week, administrative officials meet with senior leaders of Harvard’s undergraduate and graduate schools to share updates about the latest Trump developments, which keep coming rapid-fire.
Individual schools at Harvard are also making their own contingency plans. The Harvard Business School is considering moving some classes online if foreign students are barred. Facing a loss of federal funding, the T.H. Chan School of Public Health is pursuing corporate sponsors, who officials hope would sponsor Ph.D. students and post-doctorate fellows for $100,000 a year.
Several officials inside Harvard described the ways the university is planning, even as a rapidly changing situation has made it hard to see very far into the future.
Most recently, Mr. Trump issued a presidential proclamation that would bar Harvard’s international students from entering the country. Those students make up 15 percent of Harvard’s undergraduate population, and as much as a third to half of some graduate schools. Without them, Harvard would not only lose students and the tuition that comes with them, but also its status as a gathering place for the world’s brightest minds.
“We would lose influence all over the world,” said Lawrence H. Summers, who was president of Harvard from 2001 to 2006. “Instead of being the world’s pre-eminent university, after a few years, Harvard would be just another school.”
From No. 1 to just another school
By some measures, Harvard is No. 1 in the world for research, followed by 10 universities in China. After the Trump administration said it would end the school’s federal funding for research, Harvard began making plans to scale back significantly, potentially ceding ground to international competitors.
The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are also weighing changes to how much Harvard would have to pay in taxes, including a major increase in the tax on Harvard’s endowment. Mr. Trump has also floated the idea of taking away Harvard’s tax-exempt status entirely, although that proposal faces major hurdles. (The president cannot make the decision to revoke the tax exemption himself.)
Even if only some of the scenarios came to pass, experts say, Harvard could be left in a weakened position with few modern comparisons.
It would still be a big, Ivy League institution with a student body larger than, say, Dartmouth, which has 7,000 students, compared with Harvard’s 24,500 today.
But without federal dollars or international talent, experts say, Harvard could fall out of the top tier for research, where it currently sits with competitors like Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By sheer dollars spent, its research budget could shrink to something similar to that of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which spent just over $800 million on research in 2023, roughly half of what Harvard spends now.
And no major university has faced losing its tax-exempt status, a move that would transform Harvard into a taxpaying corporation.
Mr. Trump’s moves are hard to predict. Harvard and others are challenging the administration’s directives, and it’s unlikely that administration officials will be able to follow through on every threat.
Legal experts have said the university’s case to restore its funding cuts is strong. But the Trump administration has also said it would decline to fund Harvard in the future, something that could be harder for the school to challenge.
Harvard could choose to negotiate. But inside the university, officials appear reluctant to do that, given the backlash they could face for capitulating to Mr. Trump. This spring, the university took out $750 million in debt, giving it some cash flow as court decisions play out.
The atmosphere is particularly tense inside the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which relies on federal funding for 46 percent of its budget and has a student body that is about 40 percent international. Senior officials there are planning for the worst, and have called the potential changes an “existential crisis” for the school’s future.
The school is taking out a loan from the university, aggressively wooing new philanthropic dollars and cutting research by about 50 percent for next year.
The school’s dean, Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, laid out the dire situation in an email to the school’s faculty and staff this month. “We must adapt to a new world,” he said.
Harvard would lose revenue from 3 key sources
Mr. Trump and his team have targeted Harvard for what they say are violations including allowing antisemitism, discriminating on the basis of race in admissions and fostering a culture intolerant to conservative viewpoints. The administration is seeking oversight measures at the university.
Harvard has denied many of the government’s accusations and resisted its demands.
In response, the Trump administration cut all federal research dollars to Harvard, which equaled $686 million last year, or 11 percent of its total revenue. The Trump administration is also going after international students, and thus a key source of tuition revenue, because those students often pay full price.
But Harvard’s biggest source of funding is donations and payouts from its endowment, which together make up 45 percent of its revenue.
Republicans are targeting those funds as well. Harvard would pay significantly higher taxes under a Republican proposal moving through Congress to increase taxes on endowment earnings. Harvard’s taxes would rise to 21 percent, from 1.4 percent.
Republicans have said the goal is to hold accountable “woke, elite universities that operate more like major corporations.”
Liz Clark, vice president for policy and research at the National Association of College and University Business Officers, said the change would most likely mean less money for financial aid.
Harvard is the richest university in the world, with an endowment of $53.2 billion.
But legally, it cannot use most of the money to cover shortfalls, said Larry Ladd, a former budget officer at Harvard.
“Trump has pulled off something I thought I’d never see, which is he made Harvard look sympathetic,” said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a Harvard critic who supports the idea of giving admissions preferences to students with lower family incomes.
Harvard could become even more of a haven for the wealthy
Republicans have pointed to Harvard’s elite status in their criticism of the university. But in a worst-case scenario for the school, experts say, it could become even more expensive.
Harvard has historically had three times as many students from the top 1 percent of family income as from the bottom 20 percent.
But in recent years, it has tripled the share of students who are the first in their family to go to college — a group that is more likely to be lower-income or middle-class — to 20 percent, from 7 percent. Harvard also recently announced it was expanding financial aid, offering free tuition to undergraduates from families making $200,000 or less.
Harvard officials have not backed away from that promise. But they have acknowledged in court paperwork that, in certain extreme scenarios, students could lose access to financial aid.
The endowment tax alone would put pressure on the university. And without international students, it is possible that some of the university’s expenses would have to be absorbed by remaining students.
“It would become a more sheltered and elite place,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education.
Mr. Kahlenberg said his “big fear” was that Harvard might scale back on social mobility efforts and seek to admit more students whose families could pay full freight, nearly $87,000 a year for undergraduates, including room and board.
A Harvard spokesman declined to comment.
What is Harvard without its research might?
Perhaps the biggest change already underway at Harvard is the loss of federal research dollars, more than $3 billion in all.
What is Harvard without it?
Insiders do not believe Harvard will become just a liberal arts college. But it will almost certainly do less research.
Of nearly $1.5 billion spent on research at Harvard last year, nearly half was from the federal government.
Private philanthropy and corporate investments, plus research paid for by the university itself, would continue. But Harvard most likely could not make up for the scope of federal losses with its own dollars or even a major philanthropic investment.
At Harvard Medical School, federal dollars have been crucial to research discoveries on Alzheimer’s disease, non-opioid treatments for pain and cancer immunotherapy, the dean, Dr. George Q. Daley, said. About 60 percent of research at the school is funded by the federal government.
The school is now advising scientists to shrink the number of projects they’re working on.
Cutbacks at Harvard may not translate to a boon for other U.S. universities, however, because the Trump administration is also pursuing dramatic cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, which would mean less money for everyone. “We might as well just grant the future of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, quantum computing, A.I. and technology to China,” Dr. Daley said.
Some researchers are turning to the private sector to try to keep their labs afloat, but even that may be in jeopardy if the university loses its tax-exempt status.
“The likelihood that people are going to want to contribute charitable funds is significantly diminished,” said David R. Walt, a professor at Harvard Medical School who lost federal funding for research developing a technology to detect the presence and progression of Lou Gehrig’s disease, or A.L.S. He is pursuing private philanthropy to try to replace some of the lost funding.
Still, some observers have optimism for a school that has been around for close to 400 years.
“If all of this comes to pass, the incredibly smart people at Harvard will decide to reinvent Harvard,” said Mr. Mitchell of the American Council on Education.
What that may look like, though, is anyone’s guess. “It’s not like just deflating a balloon and becoming smaller,” he said. “It would be a restart.”
The battle between Harvard University and the Trump administration has continued to escalate. Michael C. Bender, a correspondent for The New York Times in Washington, surveys the administration’s actions against the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university.
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