Pro-Palestine protestors at Stanford face suspension, arrest
Pro-Palestine students who established an encampment at White Plaza may face disciplinary action and possibly arrest, according to a Friday email from President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez. Protestors violated University policies against overnight camping in White Plaza’s free speech zone.
“In the OCS [Office of Community Standards] process, the violations that have been occurring may be punishable by sanctions up to and including suspension,” Saller and Martinez wrote. “The submission of student names to the OCS process has begun.”
Students established the encampment Thursday, following a march that drew hundreds amid Admit Weekend events. Several participants were also involved with the 120-day sit-in in White Plaza, the longest in University history until it was removed by service workers and police.
Similar pro-Palestine encampments were constructed this week at university campuses nationwide and several saw clashes between protestors and police. According to the email, protestors from outside the Stanford community may face civil or criminal liability for violations of law or University policies.
The email reiterated Stanford’s policies on viewpoint-neutral time, place and manner policies, including prohibitions against disrupting classes and University events and the prohibition of overnight camping. It cited possible safety concerns with overnight encampments and encouraged the “daytime use of White Plaza for free expression as long as the conduct is consistent with university policies, which require reservations for groups and only allow tables and not overnight tents or other materials.”
While University policies allow protest in White Plaza from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., demonstrators with the encampment stayed overnight.
This is the second time this week the administration has reiterated overnight protest policies and warned students about disciplinary action, as peer institutions escalate protests and policy enforcement.
The Daily has reached out to the University and Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) for comment.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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