For weeks, Case Western Reserve University President Eric Kaler threatened disciplinary actions for students involved in the pro-Palestinian encampment that controlled a small portion of campus.
On Monday, he followed through.
The university began its student conduct process, “including temporary withholding of degrees and bans from university property for a limited number of students who may have been involved in the unsanctioned encampment on private property and other conduct violations,” a university spokesperson told Signal Cleveland.
This means those students aren’t allowed on the University Circle campus as their cases work their way through the student conduct process. Plus, the university is barring graduating students who were flagged from participating in upcoming commencement events.
New rules before graduation celebrations
Students learned they were flagged after receiving an email with a direct subject line: “Notice of University Persona Non-Grata.”
The university’s code of conduct allows administrators to bestow that status before a formal conduct hearing process begins “if a student poses an ongoing threat of disruption or interference with the normal operations of the university, or to ensure the safety and well-being of members of the university community or the preservation of University property,” according to the email students received.
The university is clearly trying to limit any potential disruptions to its upcoming graduation events. Activities begin on Wednesday.
Kaler sent an email of his own to all students, faculty and staff members Monday morning. It outlined new updates for this week’s celebrations. The list includes having attendees go through metal detectors to get into events as well as prohibiting items such as signs, banners, flags and large bags.
“Our top priority is always the safety of our community, and actions or language—including decorations on mortar boards—that make others feel threatened or intimidated will not be tolerated,” he wrote.
Case Western Reserve also bans ‘third party’ encampment attendees
University officials told Signal Cleveland they’ve also “issued notices to third parties who were involved with the encampment, prohibiting them from campus.”
Student protesters invited outside community members to the encampment. After taking over a grassy oval in front of the university’s Kelvin Smith Library for nearly two weeks, the protest site was voluntarily dismantled by protestors Friday. They said they felt threatened by potential retaliation from the university’s president and others.
Tensions ran high between the administration and students over the past few weeks. Student protestors said that although authorities briefly detained more than 20 people on the encampment’s first day, they made no arrests.
Case Western Reserve was one of nearly 80 U.S. colleges with an encampment to protest the war in Gaza and show support for Palestine.
Students at the university wanted, among other demands, the administration to divest any financial interests in Israel and restore the rights of the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Case Western Reserve officials suspended the SJP chapter earlier this year for posting flyers in restricted areas.
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