DePaul University students set up pro-Palestinian tent encampment
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Students at DePaul University on Tuesday set up tents on the quad of the Lincoln Park campus, demanding the school cut ties with Israel, joining the growing number of college protests in support of Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
Organizers said about 150 people were taking part in the protest, which began Tuesday morning. Similar tent encampments also have been set up in recent days at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
A coalition of eight student organizations at DePaul issued a list of demands, including that DePaul "divest from companies that advance Palestinian suffering and profit off the occupation" of Gaza. University officials on Wednesday said they would meet with leaders or the group, along with other students. "with the hope of establishing a productive dialogue."
The protesters also want DePaul to call for a ceasefire in Gaza; to "acknowledge and condemn the ongoing genocide in Gaza;" end research or collaborative relationships with Israeli universities "which develop weapons and systems that oppress, control, imprison, and murder Palestinians;" and disclose the university's investments, budgets, and holdings.
"The DePaul student body does support Palestine. Our problem is with the administration," said DePaul student Henna Ayesh. "But as you can see, most of DePaul supports us. Students are on our side."
Students said the protest will continue until all demands are met.
"The biggest hope is that DePaul publishes their investment portfolio and makes that public," said DePaul student Nour Odeh.
As for why they decided to launch this call to action on Tuesday, later than many other universities in the Chicago area and across the country?
"It's not always strategic to rush into an action that maybe you don't feel prepared for," said Odeh. "So it's a matter of strategy and, you know, gathering the right tools, in order to pull this off as successfully as they have."
In a statement, DePaul officials said they are "monitoring the situation closely and wish to convey our intentions for moving forward."
"While tents and unpermitted structures on DePaul's property violate a variety of university policies, we invite the members of our university community who are protesting to discuss with us how to peacefully express themselves," DePaul officials said in a letter to faculty, staff, and students. "Our goal is to identify a path forward that allows our community to make their voices heard, while also respecting the rights of their fellow students to continue active engagement in their education and staying in compliance with the law and university policy."
DePaul officials said they plan to speak to protest leaders in an effort to reach an agreement on what protest activity will be allowed on campus while ensuring safety.
"Violence, harassment, or intimidation as well as actions that interfere with university operations, damage property, or are disruptive to our neighbors — including but not limited to amplified sound — will lead to immediate disciplinary actions, such as suspension or expulsion, and criminal sanctions," the university said.
The protest at DePaul grew larger and louder as the day went on.
CBS 2 asked university officials if they have begun a dialogue with the students to find a path forward, as apparently was achieved at Northwestern. They did not answer that question.
The protest at DePaul comes a day after Northwestern University reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian protest groups on its Evanston campus to allow protesters to continue their demonstration in Deering Meadow through the end of the spring quarter on June 1. However, only one aid tent may remain mounted, and the others must all be taken down.
Meantime, students at the University of Chicago established their own tent encampment on Monday on the school's Main Quad in Hyde Park. Like protesters at DePaul and Northwestern, they are demanding the university divest itself from companies profiting from Israeli business amid the war in Gaza.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson stopped by the University of Chicago on Tuesday to offer his support to protesters there.
