UR says it has suspended students who ‘repeatedly violated policies’ at protests

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The University of Rochester says it has suspended students who “repeatedly violated policies” during pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

An email to the campus community from UR president Sarah Mangelsdorf says the students will no longer be able to access university resources. Their in-person academic progress will also be put on hold.

The email says the university respects students right to express their views about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the universities’ practices but “we have been clear that we would not tolerate conduct that disrupts the ability of students, faculty, and staff to fulfill their purpose at the University.”

Last week, students held a sit-in at Wallis Hall on Wednesday and again on Friday. The students called for the university to cut all ties with Israel including for study abroad or scholarship programs. They also demanded that the university to release a statement calling for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza and to bring back student who were banned from campus for protesting.

Similar to dozens of other colleges across the country, protesters have set up encampments on campus at the Eastman Quad and have held multiple demonstrations to advocate for their demands. The encampment has been there for more than two weeks.

UR says that, as the months of protesting went on, “the students leading the protests increasingly have been unwilling to engage in honest discourse with us and have chosen to violate agreements that they willingly entered into.”

According to the email, the protesters agreed to remove the encampment on Monday, but it’s still there and is now fortified with bricks, concrete blocks, and fencing.

The email also says the protesters agreed not to occupy any more buildings after the first sit-in last week at Wallis Hall, but held another sit-in two days later. UR says the second sit-in at Wallis Hall resulted in vandalism.

Here is the full email from the president:

Dear Members of the University Community,

For more than two weeks, we have watched as students protesting the war in Gaza established and occupied an encampment—similar to those on campuses across the country—first on Wilson Quadrangle and then on the Eastman Quadrangle. In consultation with my senior leadership team, including student life, academic, and safety leaders, we have taken a civil approach to the encampment and the students who organized it in an effort to find common ground during these complicated times.

In modeling our Meliora values, we have respected our students’ ability to express their views about the war and about the University’s policies, but we have been clear that we would not tolerate conduct that disrupts the ability of students, faculty, and staff to fulfill their purpose at the University. We also made clear that we would not tolerate behavior that was seen as harassing or intimidating to members of our community based on their perceived national origin, race, or other statuses protected under our federal obligations as outlined by the Office of Civil Rights. Our top priority has always been the safety and well-being of our campus community.

Now two weeks later, we have reached a point where we need to restore campus life for the safety and well-being of all members of the University community. Therefore, I’m writing today to inform the University community that students who, over the course of the last year have repeatedly violated our conduct policies, will be suspended. These suspended students are no longer able to access University resources and their in-person academic progress will be put on hold, subject to their opportunity for a hearing on these matters. By law and policy, the identities of students subject to conduct hearings remain confidential and we will respect those requirements.

Since protests began on campus last fall, we have provided leeway to students to express their views while always ensuring the safety of the campus. Although we have clearly and repeatedly communicated to them our expectations and policies for peaceful protesting, it’s reasonable to say that we have permitted them–without great consequence–to act in ways that we have not allowed other student organizations to behave in hopes that we could find a path forward based on our ethos as an academic community built on discussion and dialogue.

As months went on, the students leading the protests increasingly have been unwilling to engage in honest discourse with us and have chosen to violate agreements that they willingly entered into.

To recount our most recent example:

• On Wednesday, May 1, protesting students occupied parts of the main floor of Wallis Hall, articulating several demands.
• Administrators and faculty members negotiated in good faith, allowing the students to leave without sanction in exchange for an agreement that they would occupy no buildings the rest of the academic year.
• The students also agreed to an offer to make a presentation to the University’s Faculty Senate about their concerns over the University’s connections to Israeli academic programs. They were allowed to make that presentation Tuesday.
• And finally, the group agreed to dismantle the encampment by the end of a five-day period, which ended on Monday, May 6.
• In violation of the agreement, on Friday, May 3, protesting students staged a second sit-in on the main floor of Wallis Hall resulting in vandalism.
• And, by the end of the day Monday, May 6, the encampment not only remained, but it had been physically fortified with bricks, concrete blocks, and fencing.

While all members of our community have the freedom to express their views, no one can be allowed to act in ways that disrupt the work and pursuits of others on campus. No group can be allowed to monopolize an important campus resource like the Eastman Quadrangle. And no one can be allowed to create a campus environment that is intimidating and harassing to many of their fellow community members. We will continue to pursue disciplinary actions for those who repeatedly violate the University’s policies. 

As we finish the semester and turn toward Commencement Weekend, this is a time for reflection. I promise that we will evaluate the steps that we have taken—and not taken—over the past year regarding many of our policies and approaches. I’m confident that we will learn from our experiences as we work to become a better community.

This has been a challenging year for our campus, our country, and our interconnected world. I hold out hope that this year has also presented us with new opportunities—to reflect on our values, to see our fellow community members with understanding, and to commit ourselves to a future of peace. 

Sincerely, Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor