In recent weeks, campuses across the country have been host to student encampments protesting in support of Palestine. Many of those spaces, including at Yale and the University of Connecticut, have not only been shut down but also resulted in dozens of arrests.
On Wesleyan’s campus, the student encampment has lasted since Sunday, with no signs of potential removal. A campus-wide message from Wesleyan President Michael Roth sent five days after the encampment was first established said that as long as the demonstration remained peaceful, the university wouldn’t make moves to remove it.
“The protesters’ cause is important—bringing attention to the killing of innocent people. And we continue to make space for them to do so, as long as that space is not disruptive to campus operations,” Roth wrote.
Roth did write that instances of reported vandalism wouldn’t be tolerated, and could result in student suspension, expulsion and legal charges. Additionally, the administration noted to faculty that classes could not be held in the encampment.
The message from the president also pointed to a path forward in working with students in the encampment, signaling that Wesleyan might follow in the steps of schools like Brown and Northwestern, who have agreed to vote on divestment and reestablish advisory committees for investments, respectively.
