"Whatever damage takes place here would not happen in a vacuum," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science, about the unwritten rule in the Capitol, often called the Bear Mountain Bridge Compact, that dictates: "What happens in Albany stays in Albany."

Israel recently published a list of 20 mainly European and U.S.-based pro-BDS organizations whose senior members will be automatically barred from entering Israel, a move that Miriam Elman, associate professor of political science, says is long overdue.

"There’s a possibility that a lot of people view the president as being the spokesperson for the country, and what it stands for and values," says Steven White, assistant professor of political science. "They see Oprah as able to espouse a world view that inspires them."