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A newcomer’s guide to last year’s campus protests
In the past year, college campuses have spent time in the center of national (and international) news, and Washington University in St. Louis has been no exception. No matter where you’re coming from, this article is a guide to the recent protests that have taken place at WashU.
As new faces come and old ones go (in that wave-like flow of a college campus student body), discourse will inevitably evolve. Being a part of the WashU community comes with the responsibility of continuing that discourse, of understanding our shared history, politics, and place in the world.
Campus politics are nuanced and expansive, not limited to any topic or issue. But the most notable events that have defined our current moment are related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas: a war which has, for many, brought foreign conflict close to home.
Tensions everywhere are heightened, and first-years are stepping foot into a campus as highly divided as the rest of the world. It may seem strange, walking around with political undercurrents seeping their way through many interactions. To ease your confusion and help explain how we’ve gotten to this point, I have tried my best to create an outline — not from a news angle, but as an editor who has read nearly every opinion article StudLife received last academic year.
In learning about the various perspectives that shaped the timeline of last year, it is my hope that you will be able to develop a perspective of your own. Campus politics may seem surreal, unbearable even. (Perhaps they’re the absolute last thing you’re looking forward to approaching in the fall.) Even so, do not be afraid to voice your own opinion, to join the conversations around you, to advocate for what you believe is right.
Before I continue: I am an opinion writer. You can find my opinions online, published by StudLife, if you are so inclined. This piece, focused on a relaying of events, is not the place for my own political slant. That said, I acknowledge that the idea of objective reporting on this particular issue is nothing short of a facade. I am not only reporting on a largely semitic struggle, I am also dealing with a semantic one. What I choose to include and exclude, what details I provide, what language I use, are all informed by my own thoughts and experiences, no matter how objective I attempt to be.
It turns out that the beginning is a very difficult and disputed place to start. Nevertheless, let’s go to October of 2023. Following Chancellor Martin’s statement regarding October 7th, Student Union (a representative body of students elected by students, colloquially referred to as SU), released a statement of their own, condemning both Hamas and the Israeli government and alerting students about mental health resources on campus. Many students were upset by SU’s implied equation of the Israeli government to Hamas, and outrage sparked online. Comments on SU’s post were later disabled, and the quote people found troubling was removed.
A pro-Israel rally took place on Mudd Field, followed by a pro-Palestine protest a few days later. (Originally, these were planned to take place on the same day.) These two protests created the illusion of two sides; not everyone fell cleanly into a “pro-Israel” or “pro-Palestine” category, however. Some students participated in both protests. Some (perhaps most) weren’t sure where to place themselves at all.
In response to the rhetoric heard in protest, Chancellor Martin issued a statement on free speech. He condemned the phrase “from the river to the sea”: an expression some have interpreted as a call for violence against Jews and/or Israelis. Others have seen it as a cry for Palestinian liberation, a demand for the freedom of living peacefully in the entire shared ancestral land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
Later, Professor Seth Crosby claimed he was fired over an anti-Palestine tweet. In his tweet, which he afterward apologized for, he referred to the killing of Palestinians as a “much needed cleansing.” He later clarified that he had meant Hamas, not Palestinians. In November, Professor Bret Gustafson received backlash, also for a tweet on X. In his tweet, he expressed support for a protest against officials involved in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). His support for the protestors’ tactics, expressed in the quote “It’s an escrache tactic.… Let those who enable mass murder not live in peace” and “protesting the head of AIPAC’s house [is] cool” (combined with rumors spread of gas canisters at these protests), led to accusations of antisemitism.
Resist WashU (a pro-Palestine student group) protested a Boeing recruitment event, demanding the University cut ties with the organization since it helps fund Israeli weaponry. Students also held a “die-in” in front of the Danforth University Center (DUC).
Chabad and Hillel (two organizations dedicated to Jewish community at WashU) held an event to raise awareness for the Israeli hostages in Gaza, placing chairs with captives’ pictures on them throughout Mudd field.
In December, art students in the WashU Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts installed a large Palestinian liberation banner on East Campus. Some people were offended by this installation, and the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) was called. Faculty removed the art before police arrived.
MeToo WashU, an advocacy group for survivors of sexual violence, was put in the spotlight after posts related to Israel-Palestine. After a history of being vocal on political topics, the account explicitly wrote that they “unequivocally condemn the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government.” Unsurprisingly, the post received a mix of reactions.
Other student groups, including the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Jewish Students for Palestine (JSP, newly formed as of March), have also organized events and posted statements expressing open support for Palestine. And two October 7th survivors came to campus to talk about their experiences.
A resolution was passed by the SU Senate demanding that the University divest from Boeing. The hours of deliberation leading up to this vote, in a session that nearly 200 students attended, showcased how central and divisive this topic was becoming. Nearly 50 students and professors spoke to urge Senators to vote either for or against the resolution.
Despite this resolution passing, the University administration did not entertain it. In an interview with StudLife’s then-Editor-in-Chief, Olivia Poolos, Chancellor Martin said he would not divest from Boeing. Feeling unheard, a group of students (and people unaffiliated with WashU) turned to more disruptive tactics, shutting down an admitted-students event in Graham Chapel. They draped a banner that read “Boeing arms genocide,” and they chanted loudly in the packed building. Some students involved were arrested and received court summons; three were later suspended from WashU. Shortly after, a protest was held in support of those who were suspended.
In April, 250 protesters (a combination of students, faculty, and St. Louis locals) set up an encampment on the East End of WashU’s campus. This event was big, receiving the widest coverage and strongest responses. Over 100 people were arrested. Some community members were relieved that the University suppressed an event that they felt had escalated excessively. Many were deeply frustrated by the display of police brutality unleashed by the University against students and faculty, with one professor (from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) facing hospitalization. More students were suspended, and the Chancellor released a statement condemning the encampments. Frustrated by the Chancellor, many cited the 2019 Martinville encampment protest as evidence of the administration’s hypocrisy; despite trespassing restrictions, the school had historically made exceptions to preserve the right to freely protest at WashU. Campus discourse exploded. By this point, everyone had an opinion.
In May, WashU installed a guarded gate around East Campus. Chancellor Martin cited commencement and pedestrian safety as the impetus for its construction. Protests continued, though on a smaller scale. Students and community participants closed off Skinker Boulevard (an intersection near WashU), and more demonstrations occurred outside the gates of the Class of 2024 graduation ceremony.
To apply further pressure on the administration, a petition for a referendum was created and signed calling again for a divestment from Boeing. SU sent the referendum on May 9 to the entire student body. A referendum would differ from the resolution that was passed in that it would exemplify a larger consensus among students. While 61.59% of the student body (out of the 2,661 who voted) supported the resolution, it was just shy of the required two-thirds majority vote. The referendum was also sent to most students’ spam folders, an issue which was not resolved until late into the one-day voting period. Not meeting the supermajority threshold, the referendum failed.
In the fall, political activity is sure to continue. Everything outlined above — the events of last year — will be referenced in conversation. They will influence the decisions, gatherings, and administration-student relationships that you will see transpire at WashU.
New students: now that you are familiar with our recent past, it is up to you to decide our future. I cannot overstate how extraordinary that power is.
Engage in respectful dialogue with your peers. Remember that none of us students are experts. For that very reason, approach conversations with wonder. Both criticism and curiosity are vitally important, but often (I have found), we enjoy the satisfaction of criticizing a lot more than the hard work of staying curious. Try beginning a tough discussion searching for something to learn rather than something to challenge. Admit to holes in your own logic if they arise. Ask lots and lots of questions. If you’re up for it, join clubs, submit opinion articles, attend a protest or gathering. Make yourself heard.
If you feel as if you have experienced antisemitism or islamophobia recently, know that you are not alone and that your pain is valid. You of all people may already know how life-changing and important words can be.
My rant of a WashU history lesson is over. It’s time for us to listen to you.
I am excited to collaborate and hear your new ideas — to build together a campus that mends our divisions and organizes for a stronger community and brighter world.