Cal Poly Humboldt officials are closing the campus for the rest of the semester and classes will proceed remotely as pro-Palestinian student activists refuse to finish the occupation of two academic buildings.
This closure means anyone on campus without permission from university police is subject to a citation or arrest, the university wrote in a press release Saturday. Students living on campus are asked to maneuver only between their residence halls and residence halls and are usually not permitted to be in other parts of campus “until further updates.”
The campus in far northern California had already been closed since Monday, when dozens of scholars arrange camp in Siemens Hall, a tutorial and administrative constructing on the Arcata school, in an indication of “solidarity with those facing genocide in Gaza.” the organizers said. They demanded that the university divest itself from Israeli corporations and weapons manufacturers.
University administration called in riot police to clear the camp, resulting in a clash with protesters and three arrests.
“Those who stay there are not staying there for noble reasons. They are criminals,” university President Tom Jackson told the Eureka Times-Standard.
Jackson also said the closure, scheduled to last until May 10, could impact the beginning scheduled for the next day.
“What we have seen since Monday evening are protesters attempting to break into multiple locked buildings across campus, which has resulted and continues to result in an unsafe learning and work environment,” Aileen Yoo, a university spokeswoman, wrote in a press release Explanation. “The university has closed the campus to protect our campus community.”
On Friday afternoon, administrators demanded that students end the occupation of two buildings, Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East, by 5 p.m. or face arrest. Students who peacefully complied “would not be immediately arrested,” the university said, but could still face further “sanctions related to university conduct or legal consequences.”
But on Friday evening, several student activists remained in Siemens Hall and said they’d not leave until the university met their demands Student newspaper reported.
The Cal Poly Humboldt comrades of their full glory. pic.twitter.com/sd0SErN05E
— Kenji Tomari (he/his) (@dataredistro) April 26, 2024
Show photos from contained in the Siemens hall Jackson's office was spray-painted with messages reminiscent of “Viva viva Palestina!” and “Blood on your hands.” Protesters also scattered desks and chairs throughout the halls and covered the partitions with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
University administrators told the Los Angeles Times that the damage could cost the college tens of millions of dollars.
In response to protesters' calls for divestment, the university said its investments in Israeli corporations or defense firms represent lower than 1% of its endowment portfolio. The university's endowment is invested in mutual funds, which regularly pool securities and reflect the portfolio of several different investment managers.
“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss investment policy in the future,” they wrote in a press release shared with protesters.
Student protests have succeeded prior to now in demanding divestment. In response to student activism, the university's board pledged in 2014 to convert 10% of its portfolio, including investment funds, into “green funds” that haven’t any holdings in fossil fuels.
I can't imagine more people don't discuss Cal Poly Humboldt. Despite threats from federal and state authorities, the scholars are usually not backing down. They occupied a second constructing after renaming Seimens Hall “Intifada Hall” and redecorated the president's office as a part of the liberated zone: pic.twitter.com/HKsPtmw6WD
– Calla (@CallaWalsh) April 27, 2024
Students at campuses across California — including UC Berkeley, Stanford and the University of Southern California — have occupied their campuses over the past week to protest the continued war between Israel and Hamas. The Cal Poly Humboldt camp was certainly one of the primary to bring students from the quadrangle into a tutorial constructing.
Addressing protesters, Jackson said he would love to proceed the dialogue about Israel and Palestine outside the buildings.
“Our goal is not to be confrontational, but to continue the dialogue behind the scenes and not bring more attention to this community. This community does not need this type of national attention,” Jackson said.
image credit : www.mercurynews.com