Looking at how other colleges and universities have handled protests and encampments over the past few weeks has been instructive—and not in a positive way. With the Carleton Board of Trustees on campus this weekend, we have been expecting to see heightened protest activity here. And indeed, as you may have noted, an encampment appeared on campus early this morning, on the Chapel Lawn.
We have been giving careful thought to how we might respond to an encampment or similar demonstration. One thing that seems clear from both media reports, and discussions with colleagues on other campuses, is that trying to establish good communication among the various players in the midst of a crisis is too late. It is also apparent that when decisions are made in quick response to unexpected situations, it is easy to overreact. Planning ahead seems like one way to decrease the likelihood of a situation becoming confrontational.
For this reason, we have focused on trying to maintain good lines of communication with students, and clarifying appropriate parameters for a variety of circumstances in advance. For example, after sharing my message on divestment two weeks ago, VP Dina Zavala and I met with several Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) leaders for a productive discussion. Today, we will host a meeting of SJP leaders with a small group of trustees, including the Board chair, so that trustees can hear directly from the students.
The Dean of Students Office has also shared with SJP students an overview of college policies and protocols relevant to protest situations, so that they would be aware of what actions or behavior might fall outside college expectations and potentially be subject to college discipline. We have indicated that the College may permit outdoor encampments at its own discretion, but may choose to move or disband them at any time.
We strongly support the right of every member of the community to express their views, and will continue to do so. I hope that being as clear and transparent as possible about Carleton’s approach demonstrates our hope and belief that demonstrations can be effective forms of protest without being damaging to our community.
Featured in Carleton Today, May 9, 2024