Cal Poly Humboldt closes campus for rest of semester over Gaza protests
Cal Poly Humboldt officials are closing the campus for the remainder of the semester with classwork continuing remotely as pro-Palestinian student activists refuse to end their occupation of two academic buildings.
Anyone on campus without authorization from the university's police department will be subject to citation or arrest, the university said in a statement Saturday. Students living on campus are being asked to limit their movement to between their residence hall and dorms and they cannot be on other parts of campus “until further updates.”
The Northern California campus already had been shut down since Monday when dozens of students set up an encampment inside Siemens Hall, an academic and administrative building, at the Arcata school in an act of “solidarity with those facing genocide in Gaza,” organizers said. They demanded that the university
divest from Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.
University administrators called in riot police to clear the encampment, resulting in a clash with protesters. They made three arrests.
“Those who are staying in there are not staying in there for noble causes. They're criminals,” university President Tom Jackson said.
Jackson also said the closure,
which is set to last through May 10, could impact commencement, scheduled for the following day.
“What we've seen since Monday evening is protesters trying to break into multiple locked buildings across campus, which has and continues to create an unsafe learning and working environment,” Aileen Yoo, a university spokesperson, said in a statement. “The university closed the campus for the safety of our campus community.”
Friday afternoon, administrators demanded that students end the occupation in the two buildings by 5 p.m. or face arrest. Students who complied peacefully would “not be immediately arrested,” the university said, but still could face further “university conduct-related sanctions or legal implications.”
But as of Friday evening, several student activists remained at Siemens Hall, saying that they would not leave until the university met their demands, the student newspaper reported.
Photos from inside Siemens Hall show Jackson's office spray-painted with messages like “Viva viva Palestina!” and “Blood on your hands.” Protesters also scattered desks and chairs around the halls and covered the walls in pro-Palestinian graffiti.
University administrators told the Los Angeles Times that the damages could cost the school millions of dollars.
Thursday, Cal Poly Humboldt's
academic senate and the local California Faculty Association called for Jackson's resignation and passed a vote of no-confidence in his leadership based on Monday's police response to the protest, which they said escalated the situation. Jackson has said he is not concerned about the votes and more worried about “trying to keep campus open and find a successful solution to an illegal occupation.”
In response to protesters' demands for divestment, the university has said its investments in Israeli companies or defense firms represent less than 1% of its endowment portfolio. The university's endowment is invested in mutual funds, which often bundle securities and reflect the portfolio of several different investment managers.
“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the investment policies in the future,” they said in a statement shared with protesters.
Student protesters have succeeded in pushing for divestment in the past. In 2014, in response to student activism, the university's board pledged to direct 10% of its portfolio, including mutual funds, to “green funds” with no holdings in fossil fuels.
Students at campuses across California — including UC Berkeley, Stanford, USC and UCLA — have been occupying their campuses the past week to protest the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Cal Poly Humboldt's encampment was one of the first to bring students off the quadrangle and into an academic building.
To the protesters, Jackson said he would like to continue the dialogue regarding Israel and Palestine outside of the buildings.
“Our goal is not to be confrontational, to continue the dialogue behind the scenes and not raise more attention to this community. This community doesn't need this kind of national attention,” Jackson said.