University President Paul Alivisatos addressed the UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP) encampment that assembled on the Main Quad this morning in an email sent to members of the University community. His message, sent on Monday afternoon about five hours after the encampment’s implementation, was followed by another email from Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen. She further expressed the administration’s concern over the protestors’ methods, which violate University policy.
President Alivisatos began by reaffirming the University’s commitment to free expression as a “core animating value.” He emphasized that the University operates on a principle of viewpoint neutrality, meaning that no discrimination based on viewpoints will occur in handling the protests.
However, Alivisatos underscored that the administration holds the right to intervene should protests disrupt learning, compromise safety, or hinder the University’s operations. According to Alivisatos, the current encampment on the Main Quad “clearly violates policies against building structures on campus without prior approval and against overnight sleeping on campus.” While the administration may temporarily tolerate the encampment due to “the importance of the expressive rights,” he warned that continued protests could cause the administration to “act to preserve the essential functioning of the campus.”
In particular, Alivisatos emphasized that violence or harassment towards individuals or groups will not be tolerated and that prolonged encampments lead to greater “disruptions.” Should the effects of these “disruptions” accumulate, the protestors may be met with disciplinary consequences.
Alivisatos referenced two previous incidents to illustrate the University’s approach to handling protests. A previous installation in January involving a large Palestinian flag was permitted as it was seen as an exercise of free expression and did not disrupt university operations. In contrast, a student occupation of Rosenwald Hall in November was met with arrests and disciplinary action because it constituted a “clear disruption of the learning of others and of the normal functioning of the University.”
“In short, when expression becomes disruption, we act decisively to protect the learning environment of students and the functioning of the University against genuinely disruptive protesters,” Alivisatos wrote.
Alivisatos encouraged protesters to find alternative methods of expression that do not disrupt the functioning of the University or compromise the safety of others. “I believe the protesters should also consider that an encampment…is a way of using force of a kind rather than reason to persuade others,” Alivisatos wrote. He also noted the potential necessity to redirect police resources from broader public safety due to the encampment.
In a follow-up email, Rasmussen reiterated the administration’s disapproval of the encampment. According to Rasmussen, setting up tents without prior approval constituted a violation of University policies that “will result in disciplinary action.” Rasmussen stated that the University has issued warnings to the protesters, making it clear that continued violation of University policies regarding the “time, place, and manner” of protests could lead to disciplinary action. Deans-on-Call, Safety Ambassadors, and officers from the University of Chicago Police Department are also on-site to ensure public safety.
In a statement posted on their Instagram, UCUP responded to specific points in the email. “We have [protested in manners approved by University policies] time and time again: Rallies, teach-ins, flyering, and marches. And yet, the University continues to ignore our demands and refuse transparency of their investments,” the statement read. “It seems that UChicago only allows protests it can ignore.”
The statement also underscored the organization’s mission. “We will not stand by and attempt to ‘persuade’ the University to stop supporting the genocide. We will not stop, we will to rest until admin meets our demands.”
Editor’s note, April 30, 2024, 12:22 a.m.: This article has been updated to include a statement posted by UCUP on their Instagram.
