On May 16-17, members of the Carleton Students for Justice in Palestine group expanded an ongoing student body and faculty protest to Laird Hall, which administrative leaders had previously declared off limits.
After discussions between the two groups, including warnings of possible disciplinary action from administration, the students, who are calling for the college's divestment from companies and organizations that students believe are supporting the Israel government and military, vacated the hall. A student and faculty protest continues via an outdoor encampment. Administration has not yet demanded the removal of the encampment.
Statements released from the student group and from administration after the Laird occupation give differing viewpoints on the current state of events and how circumstances have played out thus far. Discussions are ongoing.
Students' statement
Representatives of the Carleton Students for Justice in Palestine group shared the following statement at the end of the Laird Hall occupation Friday.
"Carleton College students peacefully occupied Laird Hall, the college’s administrative building, for 29 hours May 16 and 17. A group of 12 students remained in the building until 10 p.m. on the 17th and 10 remained overnight, while hundreds of students, faculty, and community members have continued to rally and provide support to protestors as the college threatened disciplinary action.
"After correspondence between the students in Laird, the president and faculty, a group of around 20 faculty, many members of faculty for Justice in Palestine, met with President Byerly at 2 p.m. They, after discussion with the occupying students, requested an imminent college town hall to discuss Carleton’s involvement in the crisis in Gaza and dialogue with faculty toward expanding the Middle Eastern Studies department and providing greater opportunities for the Palestinian students.
"After this meeting, Allison Byerly emailed a small subset of students in Laird at 3:55 p.m., meeting both of these demands. Students left Laird immediately after receiving this message, meeting dozens of other protesters outside. In addition, Byerly promised students that she would permit the encampment to remain as long as it remains peaceful. On their own accord faculty also request the college reconsider disciplinary measures already in place. Currently all 12 students who stayed in the building past 5 p.m. have been placed on disciplinary probation.
"We want to underscore that pushing administration to concede even a town hall meeting took over 29 hours of sustained activism by students, which was met with threats of retaliation by administration. It was also only sustained student and faculty pressure that made the President take any concrete action towards the student’s requests. Carleton has still yet to meet any of the larger demands SJP presented at the beginning of the encampment more than a week ago.
"The occupation of Laird Hall follows 10 days of an ongoing encampment on the lawn of the Carleton College Chapel, which will remain in place. Students stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and call on the college to divest from its holdings in Safran and Woodward Inc., both weapons suppliers for the Israeli military. Carleton students are horrified at the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Carleton’s continued complicity in the face of crisis. Israel has murdered over 35,000 Gazans, more than 10,000 of whom are children, while more than 1.1 million Gazans face a state of “catastrophic hunger,” and decades of lasting impact."
Administration statement
In comments to the Northfield News, the Carleton administration disputed some of the claims made in the student group's statement.
Associate Vice President for Communications at Carleton Helen Clarke said President Byerly had already offered the opportunity for a town hall type discussion earlier in May. Clarke also said Byerly emailed students during the occupation to reiterate and clarify things she had already told them in person earlier in the week. Clarke also noted that no guarantees were made as to how long college leaders would allow the outdoor encampment to remain.
The communications office shared the following.
"We strongly support the right of every member of our community to express their views. Demonstrations can be effective forms of protest, and our hope and belief is that they can peacefully and safely take place at Carleton without being damaging to our community.
"President Alison Byerly and other members of the college’s senior leadership team have held several meetings with members of Carleton Students for Justice in Palestine since the group was formed earlier this academic year — including as recently as Tuesday — and those in-person conversations have been respectful and productive. President Byerly also invited SJP leaders to meet directly with four members of the Carleton Board of Trustees and the college’s chief investment officer earlier this month so that they could hear directly from the students.
"As a college, we have been proactive about this ongoing dialogue as a way of enabling students to be heard by the administration while expressing their views safely and productively.
"We have also been clear and transparent about what the college’s expectations are for student demonstrations. Prior to an outdoor encampment being set up on campus on May 9, we shared an overview of college policies and protocols relevant to protest situations, so students would be aware of what actions or behavior might be subject to college discipline. We noted that the college may permit outdoor encampments at its own discretion but may choose to move or disband them at any time. We have not removed students from the encampment that is now in its second week.
"The decision by some students on Friday to enter and remain inside Laird Hall — which was locked in anticipation of a planned sit-in — was a disappointing violation of clearly stated college policy. Our goals in closing the building were to prevent a need for college discipline, and to ensure classes could continue safely and without interruption. We also have an obligation to ensure fire codes and building safety standards are being followed. We care deeply about our students and did not want to be in a position to have to move them out of a building.
"Students were notified on Friday afternoon that, if they remained in the building past 5 p.m., they would be facing disciplinary probation. Twelve students chose to stay and met with Carleton’s director of community standards to hear more about this disciplinary action. They also received information on Saturday morning confirming that a continued presence in Laird Hall would subject them to further discipline, including suspension. The remaining students vacated the building a few hours later.
"President Byerly was in regular email communication with the students during their time in Laird, and she invited them to meet with her in person after they vacated the building."
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