Live blog: Pro-Palestinian students set up camp on the ISU Quad
WGLT's reporting on pro-Palestinian students who've set up a tent encampment and ongoing demonstration on the Illinois State University Quad.
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ISU pro-Palestinian protests likely to disperse this week
Nearly 30 protestors supporting pro-Palestinian causes are no longer sleeping outside, but they remain committed to placing pressure on Illinois State University administrators.
Students affiliated with the group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) staged a sit-in outside ISU President Aondover Tarhule’s office in Hovey Hall on Wednesday and participated in a teach-in on the history of the conflict led by university faculty.
Most of the group plans to disperse in the next few days as students leave campus for the summer. There is no organized plan to disrupt this weekend’s commencement ceremonies.
SJP is protesting the war in Gaza and what they say are ISU’s financial entanglements with Israel. Unlike some groups protesting on college campuses, the group is not currently a registered student organization or affiliated with the National Students for Justice in Palestine.
Speaking on behalf of the group, freshman political science and philosophy major Raseel Khwaiss said SJP opted to suspend sleeping outdoors due to bad weather, exhaustion and safety concerns, citing instances of harassment by passersby on ISU’s Quad. Demonstrators plan to donate blankets, tarps and other supplies used to maintain the small encampment to homeless people.
While on-campus demonstrations aren’t planned past this week, Khwaiss said students living near Chicago for the summer will continue to participate in pro-Palestinian demonstrations there.
“I know I’ll still be working on emails and contacting administration, working within the purview of the law to try to get as much an impact as I can out of ISU,” she said.
Following their May 3 arrest, seven students were suspended and restricted from participating in university activities.
“We are in full support of them,” Khwaiss said. “They were aware of the risks of what might happen once they protested the way that they did. We believe what they did was for a cause that’s worthy of doing what they did.”
Khwaiss said the university’s actions were “excessive,” but declined to speak further on the issue.
The group expressed collective disappointment in handmade signs about what they say is a lack of response to requests for a meeting.
On May 3, Tarhule spoke briefly with demonstrators demanding the university divest from financial holdings with ties to Israel. Khwaiss rejected Tarhule’s stand-up meeting as sufficiently addressing SJP’s concerns.
“No SJP executive members were present,” she said. “In fact, no people with direct links to SJP were present. Even though they are allies and we see them as part of SJP, nobody who was in charge of any negotiations was present.”
A university spokesperson said ISU “does not have direct investments with the identified companies included in the participants' demand letter. Illinois State only invests in U.S.-backed Treasury bills and Illinois funds managed by the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer.”
A specific sticking point has been what SJP claims is “funding genocide,” regarding donations accepted from corporations including Peoria-based heavy machinery company Caterpillar. Tarhule suggested the group speak to the Illinois State University Foundation about charitable contributions, something Khwaiss said they “intend to do.” SJP further requests that the administration call for a ceasefire.
“Above all, due to the humanitarian cost of it, we ask for a ceasefire,” Khwaiss said. “That is obviously the objective. In terms of divestment, we will keep railing for that until it is complete.”
100+ faculty members sign support letter for student protesters
Over 100 faculty members at Illinois State University have signed a letter supporting the rights of pro-Palestinian protesters.
That letter was also published in The Vidette, a student media outlet on campus, as a letter to the editor.
"As faculty, we stand with you. This is your university, and you should be able to engage in peaceful protest on your campus. You should not be punished, or even threatened to be punished, for such actions," they wrote. "As your teachers, we stand with you. We are proud to teach you and learn from you. In class and outside of it, you give us hope for the future and challenge us to imagine that a different world is possible."
Pro-Palestinian group holds teach-ins as encampment moves into 5th day
Close to 30 students were gathered at the pro-Palestinian encampment at Illinois State University’s Quad on Saturday as seven other students faced an initial court appearance on charges they trespassed at Hovey Hall after police ordered them to leave past closing time on Friday.
The encampment, which is now in its fifth day, includes signs hanging from trees with phrases such as “People’s University for Gaza” and “How Many More," an apparent reference to the estimated 34,500 Palestinians who have died in the war in Gaza.
The students with the group calling itself Students for Justice in Palestine were sitting on blankets and lawn chairs in the encampment. They were taking part in teach-ins on alternatives to policing and how to effectively use memes, as in online videos or images, in social movements.
One student, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being targeted as antisemitic by the university, said it’s too soon to say how many of the students plan to stay past graduation next week, indicating their plans are day to day. They also indicated they want to comply with the university’s rules because they want to remain in place to educate the campus community as much as they can.
They added the seven students who were arrested “took one for the team” and they hope that will open dialogue with the university.
7 ISU students arrested for refusing to leave administration building
Seven Illinois State University students were arrested Friday evening in an escalation of the pro-Palestinian protests that have continued on campus since Tuesday.
The students had gathered outside President Aondover Tarhule’s office inside Hovey Hall at about 10:15 a.m., according to university spokesperson Chris Coplan.
Representatives of the university’s Demonstration Safety Team informed the students at about 5:40 p.m. they would be arrested for trespassing and face a university suspension if they did not leave by 6 p.m. when the building closes.
The students said they wanted to meet with Tarhule to discuss their demands, which include calls for an immediate cease fire in the war in Gaza and divesting from any companies that have ties to Israel.
The demonstration team informed them Tarhule had already left.
They met briefly with Tarhule in the hallway earlier in the afternoon. Students said they were not satisfied with his responses.
Coplan issued a statement after that encounter indicating that Tarhule told them the university does not have direct investments with the companies listed in the student’s letter.
Members of the Demonstration Safety Team also informed the students their interim suspensions mean they would be unable to take part in any university activities — including graduation — and students who live on campus would not have access to the residence halls during their suspensions. They would have the opportunity to discuss their suspensions with the Dean of Students Andy Morgan as early as Monday and request the suspensions be modified or dropped.
The students told WGLT they were willing to face arrest and suspension. One of the students, graduate teaching assistant Rebekah Mangels, is set to graduate next week.
“If (Palestinians) were to be in my position, they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice, the small things that I’m sacrificing, not walking (for graduation) in protest of a genocide is a sacrifice I’m very willing to make. It’s the right thing to do.”
Junior psychology major Aidan Marcikic said prior to his arrest they stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and with protestors at college campuses across the country.
“(Administration) has clearly chosen a side, and we will deal with the consequences and continue to spread our message,” Marcikic said.
The students were placed in handcuffs inside Hovey Hall, then were escorted into two Bloomington Police wagons, as several dozen onlookers watched, many of them were recording the incident on their phones.
ISU Police Chief Aaron Woodruff, who was on scene, confirmed to WGLT seven students were arrested on trespassing charges. They were transported to the McLean County jail and were expected to be charged with criminal trespass to state property, ISU officials said.
Coplan issued a statement after the incident, saying the students were given multiple warnings about the “consequences for remaining” past closing time.
“All individuals are welcome to exercise their right to protest peacefully at ISU in accordance with University requirements. University students are expected to exercise their freedom with responsibility. University officials set expectations with participants outlined within university policy and provided warnings of consequences if university policies were not followed,” Coplan said.
Several of the students said prior to their arrests they plan to be back at the Quad on Saturday to continue their protests.
ISU President Tarhule meets with Quad demonstrators
An Illinois State University spokesperson has issued a statement about President Aondover Tarhule's Friday meeting with pro-Palestinian demonstrators who've set up on the Quad:
"President Tarhule had a short meeting with demonstration participants on Friday morning to engage in discussion and allow students to share and hear perspectives. The conversation was held in good faith in the President’s conference room and he commended the students for their civic engagement and using their freedom of expression in accordance with university policies.
President Tarhule and the demonstration participants discussed some of the group’s concerns. President Tarhule stressed the importance of Illinois State University’s role to provide a safe environment that is welcoming of dialogue around issues happening around the world that most often are persistent, enduring, and complex.
The demonstration participants had specific questions regarding divestment. President Tarhule noted that the University does not have direct investments with the identified companies included in the participants' demand letter. Illinois State only invests in U.S.-backed Treasury bills and Illinois funds managed by the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer. This information was communicated in a FOIA response yesterday. President Tarhule also noted that any questions regarding the Illinois State University Foundation involve a separate 501(c)(3) organization.
The conversation ended shortly afterwards so President Tarhule could attend another meeting. The University's President remains actively engaged in monitoring both local and international events."
Pro-Palestinian students bring their protest inside Hovey Hall
After a group vote, several members from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on Friday decided to move their encampment – right outside of President Aondover Tarhule’s office inside Hovey Hall.
The students are taking a more direct approach to having their demands met, including a statement calling for a ceasefire, transparency on university funds and more.
Aidan Marcikic, a junior psychology major, said the group wanted to make their voices heard firsthand by administration.
“Essentially, the core group of people here today believe that it was time to escalate our protest beyond the camp that we had set up,” Marcikic said. “And the way to do that was talking to the president directly, and making sure that our voice is heard and our concerns with the genocide are heard.”
Marcikic said that SJP wants to make sure that Tarhule is reminded and consistently informed about the group’s position, even if it means days.
“If we stay overnight, we will stay overnight. That's part of the plan. If they make us leave, then that's what's going to have to happen,” Marcikic said. “So either way, we're staying here until we are forcibly removed or our demands are met.”
Fourth-year graduate student Steven Lazaroff said that after a conversation with Tarhule, there was still dissatisfaction.
“There are ethical thick lines in the sand and genocide is one of them. It’s not about taking money away from students, it’s about taking money away from genocide,” Lazaroff said.
Vidette: A night at Students for Justice in Palestine's encampment
The Vidette's Paul Aguilar reports on what demonstrators are doing in the evening and overnight, after most of the campus empties out.
“In terms of previous nights that we have stayed here, it’s been very peaceful. Usually, people bring instruments and chill out in the front since there’s no one to talk to during the evenings,” said Students for Justice in Palestine member Aidan. “The tents are pretty small and can’t fit more than two people, so it’s a fairly calm environment.”
Jewish students hold their own gathering on the ISU Quad
About two dozen students gathered on the north end of ISU's Quad on Thursday evening to sing Jewish songs and show pride in their heritage amid the pro-Palestinian protests that have continued for three days on campus.
Several Jewish students said they don’t feel safe based on what they’ve seen and heard from Palestinian supporters at ISU and other college campuses.
“In a way, I do feel scared for my friends and I who are Jewish, and even maybe friends that are not Jewish that are supporting Jewish people,” said senior physical education major Ethan Selnik. “It’s just unfortunate. I hope nothing gets out of hand and everything stays peaceful and people understand where they are coming from.”
Rabbi Chiam Telsner of the Chabad at ISU said he wished to strike a positive tone at the Jewish Pride event, but said the last few days have been jarring for Jewish students on campus.
“There is still anxiety to walk across the Quad and have this while you are here, especially when their friends are maybe doing other things,” Telsner said. “All in all, I’d say the Jewish students here are feeling great.”
ISU sophomore Hannah Landau, who is studying social work, said she’s been cursed at while a Jewish friend was called a murderer over the war in Gaza. She wants the university to take a tougher stance against the pro-Palestinian protesters.
“It’s just really frustrating when you see that and the Student Government Association comments that it was free speech so they are just allowed to basically write these antisemitic comments and get away with it,” she said. “It’s very upsetting as a Jewish individual here on campus.”
Landau took exception to the pro-Palestinian supporters referring to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians as genocide.
“There’s just a war and war has casualties,” she said. “Six million Jews got killed in the Holocaust. That was a genocide.”
ISU Student Body President Cobi Blair watched the observance and stressed the university supports both sides’ rights to free speech.
“I think it’s really important that all students at ISU feel welcome on campus and know this is a safe space for them no matter where they come from,” Blair said.
The Student Government Association on Wednesday approved a resolution to express support for students’ right to protest.
On the other end of the Quad, about three dozen students continued to rest on flattened tents they were ordered to remove the day before.
Concerns from Jewish students and threats to cut off dorm access are raised at student government meeting
The Student Government Association [SGA] at Illinois State University met Wednesday night, hearing student comments on the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Several students were either in favor of protesting the Israeli military’s actions, or defended the protesters' rights in general.
Two Jewish students raised concerns that the present environment makes Jewish people feel unsafe. One student senator said they’d recently encountered and tore down a poster comparing Jewish people to snakes on campus, saying the current atmosphere is enabling antisemitic behavior.
Also in attendance was ISU Dean of Students Andy Morgan, whose office was the source of the ultimatum that resulted in protesters taking down their tents Wednesday morning. The consequences laid out were suspensions and revoking access to campus resources, including residence halls.
In a statement, Morgan said the university was enforcing policy regarding any “structures” students had created without prior approval, and emphasized that students can remain protesting without tents “as long as they’d like.”
Multiple students thought the policies were vague and enforced inconsistently, saying many student organizations have, in the past, put up tents without consequence. Morgan declined to speak further on the subject after the meeting.
A focal point of Wednesday night’s comments was the idea that if carried out, the university’s suspensions would have meant not only academic disruption during semester finals, but also meant no place to live for students residing in dorms. Attending on behalf of ISU’s College Democrats, student Jimmy Holmes took particular issue with the latter.
“The dorm part is the biggest portion of this for me, at least. I don’t live in the dorms but I did for two years. That was my home,” Holmes said after the meeting. “To threaten their [students] access to their homes is totally inappropriate.”
Near the end of the meeting, the SGA passed a resolution expressing support for students’ right to protest, though not without many abstentions and negative votes.
ISU president: Quad demonstrators have been 'respectful' of school policies so far
Illinois State University’s president said Wednesday that pro-Palestinian demonstrators camped out on the Quad have so far been “respectful” of school policies and that administrators are working to gather information in response to their requests.
President Aondover Tarhule told WGLT that ISU “welcomes diverse opinions and expressions on any topic, as long as people are respectful and mindful of the policies.”
“And so far, I have to say the students have been respectful of those policies. And so I think, as long as that remains the case, and it is my hope that that will remain the case, (the) university is a place that welcomes free expression. And so the students are totally within their rights.”
Tarhule said it’s a good thing for ISU’s students to be showing an interest in complex geopolitical issues, such as the war in Gaza.
“It shows awareness, it shows sensitivity, it shows consideration for things that are happening in other parts of the world. And that's exactly what we want our students to be learning,” he said.
The Quad demonstrators, which include the group Students for Justice in Palestine ISU, have issued a list of demands from ISU. That includes demands for ISU to call for a ceasefire, cut ties with companies “complicit in war crimes and human rights violations,” “complete academic divestment from militarized Israeli institutions,” transparency about university investments and spending, and to issue a statement of support for any Palestinian students at ISU.
Tarhule said the university is working to respond soon to a Freedom of Information Act that will turn up some of that information.
“The students have raised a number of cogent questions, and the university is working to pull the records and double check the data to make sure we’re providing responses that are as accurate as possible,” Tarhule said. “So there is that engagement on that level, from what the students are asking for. And we'll be working to provide that information.”
Tents and banners have been taken down
Here's a look at the Illinois State University Quad as of Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of Kaylee Sugimoto from The Vidette.
Jewish group Chabad at ISU: 'Our response to hate is more Jewish Pride'
A Jewish student group at Illinois State University says it's been in close contact with administrators and ISU Police about recent developments on campus.
Chabad ISU posted on social media that it was aware that “with the recent developments on our campus, many may be feeling afraid and anxious.”
“We have been in close contact with the ISU administration and ISUPD and they are clear with their support for a safe campus for all,” the statement read.
On Friday, the group issued a statement saying it had been “deeply affected by the rise of antisemitism on ISU’s campus” and “in light of the recent protests and antisemitic rhetoric posted around campus and Bloomington Normal, we would like to show our unabashed support for the existence of the State of Israel and the safety of Jews around the world.”
Protestors on Wednesday said they wished to emphasize they do not support antisemitism and welcomed Jewish people among their ranks on the Quad.
“We do not stand against Jewish people. …There are people of all faiths here,” said J, one of the Quad demonstrators, on Wednesday. “We wish people would know that we are not against Jewish people and we support our Jewish friends.”
Chabad ISU has not yet responded to a request for comment on the demonstration from WGLT.
Demonstrators say ISU visit forced them to disassemble their tents or face suspension
An Illinois State University student who joined dozens of others in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus said Wednesday that university officials and police forced protestors to disassemble their tents or face suspension.
The student, Everett, an undergraduate who asked to be identified only by their first name, said three members of ISU’s Demonstration Safety Team and a police officer dropped by an ongoing protest on the Quad early Wednesday morning and told protestors they had minutes to comply.
“For us, it just feels like the university is acting in bad faith. They came by at 7 in the morning and gave us 10 minutes to take everything down — they didn’t give us a chance to negotiate,” Everett said. “They didn’t talk with us about anything. They literally just swooped in with a police officer and were like, ‘If this isn’t done in 10 minutes, suspensions for everyone here.’”
ISU spokesperson Chris Coplan said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that "university officials made repeated contact with demonstration participants throughout the day Tuesday and early Wednesday regarding university policies and requirements for activities on campus grounds."
"When these conversations with the group did not prompt compliance, the University ultimately issued written and verbal warnings to participants on Wednesday morning about the consequences of noncompliance," the statement continued. "Participants then chose to follow University directives to dismantle unauthorized structures, removing the need for disciplinary action.
"[ISU] is appreciative of this cooperation and welcomes the group to continue a peaceful protest in compliance with university policies."
A group began forming on ISU’s Quad on Tuesday in both a show of support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war and in protest of ISU’s ties to companies that do business with Israel.
As has been true of other pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses nationwide, protestors at ISU have called upon the institution to “divest from all companies that are funding the genocide in Gaza”; issue a statement calling for a ceasefire and issue a statement in support of Palestinian students, that “they have the right to self-determination, Jerusalem as the capitol of Palestine, the right of colonized people to resist against occupation and the right of Palestinian refugees to return home,” another student, J, said Wednesday morning.
“We just want to know that our money is going to the right place. As of right now, Israel is doing very horrible things, committing a lot of war crimes and we don’t feel that is where our money should be going. It should be going into the reinvestment of Palestine — rebuilding it, helping the people there get to safety and ending the war,” the undergraduate said.
More than two dozen people were gathered on ISU’s Quad on Wednesday morning. Both J and Everett said protestors plan to stay on the Quad as long as they can, though the spring semester officially ends May 10.
“As long as it takes, really — we just want the university to respond,” J said. “You can’t ignore us: However long you think you can ignore us is however long we’ll be here. I feel like President [Aondover] Tarhule doesn’t know how stubborn his students are. We’ve been taught in so many classes how to fight, when to fight and what to fight for, so this is the point where we’re putting our knowledge into action.”
Both students emphasized the peaceful nature of the protest and said the goal is to continue “the peaceful tactic because that is what we know best,” J said.
Asked whether students felt any sense of optimism that the university would meet any of the protestors’ requests, Everett said “at least for me, there is no choice but optimism.”
“It’s easy to get bogged down by the harsh realities of our current political climate, but when the only other option is to sit back... when the only other alternative is apathy, I think resistance is the only solution,” Everett said. “It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ or, ‘This isn't going to make that big of a difference.’ But for us, it’s impossible to look away.”
College Democrats condemn ISU's 'threats' of sanctions
Photos circulating on social media show a printed letter purportedly delivered to Quad demonstrators by ISU administrators, threatening interim suspension, termination for any employees involved, and citation or arrest for those unaffiliated with the university.
ISU's College Democrats group condemned what it called the university's "vile and disgusting threats."
"Students should not be threatened with being denied access to their dorms or classes that they paid for because the University is uncomfortable with its own students hanging banners and pitching tents on the Quad alongside so many others across the nation," the College Democrats posted on Facebook.
ISU tells demonstrators to remove tents from Quad
Illinois State University administrators have told a group of pro-Palestinian students who are camping on the Quad to take down their tents and structures or face consequences for violating school policy.
The tents went up midday Tuesday, with ISU students joining their counterparts on dozens of campuses nationwide in setting up encampments to demonstrate support for Palestinians. A group calling itself Students for Justice in Palestine ISU in the encampment has shared a list of demands sought from ISU, following the broader boycott, divest and sanction [BDS] movement.
ISU spokesperson Chris Coplan told WGLT that “university officials continue to monitor the situation closely.” He said ISU “steadfastly upholds the right to freedom of expression,” but “maintains clear policies and procedures to responsibly manage the time, place, and manner of activities in our campus facilities and spaces.”