CLEVELAND — For more than a week, Case Western Reserve University students have stood their ground, protesting the Israel-Hamas war and called on the school to disclose and divest in funds tied to Israel.
It was a protest turned into an encampment in the oval outside the Kelvin Smith Library. Thursday the students announced their encampment would be coming to a close, but there is more to come.
It’s been 11 days of a pro-Palestinian encampment at CWRU, where students marched, chanted and plastered posters on campus. Wednesday night, hundreds of people marched through the campus to Adelbert Hall, where the university said about 10 stayed the night, blocking access to the building.
“Our leaders, instead of interacting with us, have chosen to run away for 11 days. Run away from the truth. Run away from the voices of students.” said Jad Oglesby, the Vice President of Students for Justice in Palestine.
In response, the university has released multiple statements regarding the protests. The most recent one, stated staff worked from home due to students blocking the administrative building writing the following.
“As I have previously noted, any individual violating university policy will be held accountable through legal action and/or the appropriate conduct process,” said the Case Western Statement.
The students have been asking the university for six things, including disclosing which Israeli companies the schools invest in and divesting from them.
“Unfortunately, we've been in these camps for 10 days, and we failed to even have a conversation. So no, we have not achieved any of our goals, but despite that, we are not done. So we're going to keep going,” said Jad.
Just before the semester ends, Jad, who’s also a senior at Case, told News 5 they're bringing the encampment to an end as well, but there’s more to come.
“This encampment is a step in a long term strategy of holding this institution accountable for its actions. I've been part of leadership here at SJP since my freshman year, but I think, I've set a good precedent for the students under me to keep lifting up that to keep uniting the students in the name of peace, in the name of love in the name of standing up for what's right,” said Jad.
As Thursday’s rain washed away the chalk images protesters drew on the concrete, Jewish students like Adam Saar say though the protests have been peaceful they are relieved to see some of the rhetoric gone.
“I hope that with the encampment coming to a close, we can engage in much more productive dialogue,” said Adam.
Jad said he wanted to use the encampment to create change and raise awareness about the Palestinian cause.
“I truly think that we've been able to set a precedent here for free speech for, you know, advocating for your morals for advocating for the sanctity of life,” said Jad.
Saar uses his groups and carries his flag to help advocate for dialogue.
“It’s really my belief that we have to be able to have these two markers national identity and share that space both on our campus and in our community here and overseas in Israel and Palestine,” said Adam.
Though the two come from different sides of the protests, they say everyone should be able to have a conversation.
“We just had a conversation about a deeply rooted political conversation and we actually came to common ground, these are what’s students here at Case Western University are capable of doing,” said Jad.
To them, this ending feels more like the beginning of another chapter with the students and the university.
“Ultimately we have to be able to talk civilly and calmly and understand each other and to be able to work together,” said Adam.
“Hopefully we can do this and not resort to setting up a park in the middle of Cleveland,” said Jad.
It’s unclear what the encampment closing will look like, but the students protesting hope to see the long-term symbol of their time and passion at KSL Oval.
You can read the university's full statement below:
Last night at approximately 7 p.m., about 200 protesters marched from the Kelvin Smith Library Oval to Adelbert Hall, where they glued posters to the building and doors and engaged in threatening behavior. About 10 students remained overnight, blocking both doors and access to the building. Earlier this morning, we notified staff who work in Adelbert Hall to work remotely.
As I have previously noted, any individual violating university policy will be held accountable through legal action and/or the appropriate conduct process. For students, this could include interim suspension, expulsion or removal of degree conferral. Those who continue to illegally trespass and vandalize university property will be subject to criminal charges.
In recent days, we have seen an influx of escalated activities that violate—in some cases continually—our freedom of expression policy, among others. This includes protesters at the non-sanctioned encampment on Kelvin Smith Library Oval, those who are obstructing access to and closing operations at Adelbert Hall today, and the individuals who painted the advocacy and spirit walls with messages that were threatening and intimidating to members of our community, including language directed toward protesters.
None of this behavior is acceptable, nor does it contribute to the safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for which Case Western Reserve is known.
Today marks the last day of final exams—the culmination of a year of hard work in classrooms, labs, clinicals and other hands-on experiences. I want to take this time to commend the students, faculty and staff who have shown such exceptional commitment to their academic, research and extracurricular activities throughout this year. This should be a time to celebrate your achievements and look forward to what’s next.
With commencement celebrations beginning in less than a week, I want to confirm that Case Western Reserve will still hold all ceremonies to recognize our graduates’ accomplishments. Like many of you, I am especially looking forward to this year’s festivities, as most members of the undergraduate Class of 2024 had their high school graduation ceremonies canceled at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an exceptional time for our soon-to-be alumni and their families, and I am eager to celebrate alongside them.
Unfortunately, in recent weeks, we have witnessed the disruptions caused at other universities that have detracted from the achievements of students and spirit of the day. To avoid such interruptions and ensure our celebrations are centered on our graduates, we will be implementing a variety of safety and security measures, which will share with the community soon.
As we close out this academic year, I encourage you to reflect on the remarkable accomplishments of the students who soon will walk across the stage at commencement—and the impact of each of you who helped them get there. This time of year is an incredible reminder of the critical importance of higher education and the hard work happening in every corner of our campus.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President
A day after our report aired, the university said in another statement that it will hold all commencement ceremonies, but there will be more security. Additionally, "all activities on university property related to freedom of expression, regardless of perspective or subject, between now and May 20 will require reservations that are approved in writing by the interim vice president for student affairs."
On Friday, student protesters released a statement of their own that said, in part, "The student leaders at Case Western Reserve University have announced the decision to end the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, citing increasing risks of arbitrary retaliation from President Eric W. Kaler following his recent threats towards students, faculty, and staff involved in the protests."
The statement went on to say the protesters were concerned about the threat of violence from fellow students and outsiders and left open the possibility of future encampments.
