AMNA NAWAZ: Campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza are continuing to grow across the U.S.

The University of Southern California announced today it's canceling its main commencement ceremony next month.

Encampments are now in place in at least 20 colleges, and hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested in the last several days at multiple schools, including the University of Texas, Ohio State and Emory University.

Amid police confrontations, multiple arrests and large demonstrations, Emory University today became the latest flash point in a wave of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.

Early this morning, at Boston's Emerson University, violence erupted as police cleared a student encampment.

More than 100 were arrested.

Authorities say four officers were injured.

That followed this clash at the University of Southern California.

Officers there say protesters refused to remove their encampments.

The protesters say they were provoked.

STUDENT PROTESTER: What we just saw was an act of USC acting aggressively and failing to defend, and, in fact, being the aggressor against its students.

AMNA NAWAZ: By nightfall, more than 90 people were taken into custody.

These incidents are just the latest in a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations unfolding on campuses from coast to coast and beyond, including universities in Paris, Cairo, and Sydney.

Some in the U.S. say they want their universities to cut financial ties with Israel.

FORMER USC STUDENT: We want the university to disclose its financial holdings and divest from its relationships with financial institutions.

And we want the university to recognize and acknowledge to its student body that there is a genocide happening to our families in Gaza.

AMNA NAWAZ: Officials at Columbia University yesterday extended talks with demonstrators to clear the campus, where, that same afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson was booed after his remarks.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken right now by radical and extreme ideologies.

They place a target on the backs of Jewish students in the United States and here on this campus.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jewish students across the country have said they feel unsafe amid the demonstrations and after being targeted by hate speech and antisemitic symbols.

But some are taking part in the protests...

PROTESTERS: Free, free Palestine!

AMNA NAWAZ: ... which continue to spread to more campuses and show no signs of ending soon.

The protests have also reached Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where dozens of students have faced suspension, expulsion, and even arrest for their participation in recent protests on campus.

Joining us now is Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier to discuss his school's approach, which he outlined in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Chancellor, welcome to the "NewsHour."

Thanks for joining us.

DANIEL DIERMEIER, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University: Thank you for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, before we get into your school's specific experience, I just want to get your reaction to how quickly and how widely these protests have spread across campus.

DANIEL DIERMEIER: Yes, I think what we have seen in the last week or two is certainly that these issues and the protests have intensified, but, really, we have had them for the last six months or so.

AMNA NAWAZ: And Vanderbilt has been among those that's seen its own protests.

As we mentioned, there was a late March incident.

Some 27 students or so forced their way into a closed administration building.

I understand a campus security officer was injured during that incident.

Most of the students had to be escorted out.

Four were arrested, is my understanding.

Help us understand the line for you.

Why were those students arrested and some expelled?

DANIEL DIERMEIER: Absolutely.

So, overall, over the last six months, things on campus have gone very well.

Our students have done great.

They had vigils.

They had in-depth discussions.

We have had a Passover celebration just like a few days ago with 400 students on our main lawn.

And then some students have protesters as well on both sides.

We have had displays of, like, the victims in Gaza.

We have had displays of the hostages.

So all of that has gone very well.

But about a month ago, we had a small group of students that forced their way into a closed building.

This is our main administration building.

And we're still doing some construction.

They ran over a security officer.

They then tried to get into my office.

They were -- they tried to push over some of my staff there, but didn't succeed, and sat down in the hallway.

And then, after a few hours, we told them that this is inconsistent with university policy, that this is disruptive conduct.

We then had three of the students arrested that had pushed over the police officer.

We had one student arrested who had smashed over a window, and then the other students left on their own accord and were subject to student discipline subsequently.

AMNA NAWAZ: So the line for you was the physical violence part of it.

Had the building been open, you're fine with students entering and sitting in, in protest, in other words?

DANIEL DIERMEIER: Well, the issue for us is whether you're disrupting university operations.

Now, certainly, when you are forcing your way into a closed building, closed for construction, and you're injuring a public safety officer, that line has been crossed.

The critical question for us is always, are you protesting and making your voices heard, or are you engaging in disruptive conduct?

That can have many different forms.

For example, we would not allow them to enter a classroom with a megaphone and disrupt the class, for example, so it can come in many different forms.

This was certainly across the line.

AMNA NAWAZ: You said in your op-ed that free speech is alive and well at Vanderbilt.

But there was an open letter by several members of your faculty that disputes that.

They say the administration has been excessive and punitive in its response to student protests.

They say the rules seem arbitrary.

And they say the criterion that protests must not disrupt university operations, as you say, is perniciously vague and expansive.

What do you say to that?

DANIEL DIERMEIER: Well, I think that this particular issue has absolutely nothing to do with free speech.

As I mentioned before, there have been many expressions of student protest on campus.

The issue for us is, in this particular case, was that the people forced them -- forced their way into a construction building and injured a police officer.

I don't think anybody should confuse this with free speech.

AMNA NAWAZ: But, if I may, this line that you draw that it shouldn't disrupt, protests shouldn't disrupt university operations, your opposition here says that that's actually too vague and too expansive.

Many would say the purpose of protests is to disrupt.

DANIEL DIERMEIER: I think the purpose of protest is to make your voices heard.

I don't think the purpose of protest is to injure members of the staff or to disrupt classes.

AMNA NAWAZ: One of the things the students were asking for was a student-led vote, a referendum, in essence, asking for the university to divest itself financially from any financial ties to Israel.

My understanding is, you did not allow that vote, that referendum, to move forward, which then, of course, leads students to say that their free speech is being violated.

So why not allow them to discuss that and hold that vote?

DANIEL DIERMEIER: The university has three principles.

One is free speech.

One is what we call institutional neutrality, which means that the university will not take policy issues unless they directly and materially affect the operations of the university, for example, not on foreign policy issues.

And the third is civil discourse, which means that we treat each other with respect, we listen to each other, and when our students come on campus, they sign a community creed where they affirm their commitment to the last value of civil discourse.

The students then had a -- wanted to have a referendum to use student government funds to basically boycott any firms that had connection with Israel.

That, in Tennessee, is against the law.

Even the vote itself would have put our state funding at risk, and so, as consequences of that, we did not allow the vote, and because it's inconsistent with Tennessee state law.

But I want to be clear that calling for the boycott of Israel is also inconsistent with our stand on institutional neutrality.

AMNA NAWAZ: You know, Chancellor, I have to ask, if you believe that you and other leaders are handling these protests well, that you are hitting that balance between free speech and safety, why do you think that the protests and objections are spreading as rapidly as they are?

I mean, is there a chance here that you are not necessarily hearing the concerns of your students in the way they feel they need to be heard?

DANIEL DIERMEIER: I need to distinguish between what's happening on my campus.

And on my campus, this was an isolated incident that involved 30 students.

What other universities do and how they handle that, I think, is something that will depend on their context.

All of us will have -- will be tested.

Our approach has been that we have been very clear about our principles, the principles I just stated, and that we will enforce those principles, and that's the way we have handled the situation.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier joining us tonight.

Chancellor, thank you very much for your time.

DANIEL DIERMEIER: Sure.

Thank you.