ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Protesters organized a sit-in in front of an administrative building at the University of Rochester (U of R) River Campus Wednesday. The events follow a week of protesting and camping out on campus, demanding an end to the war in Gaza.

At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the protesters who were occupying the main floor of Wallis Hall at UR left. This was in response to a series of conversations between the protest leaders, university administrators, and faculty. Wilson Boulevard will reopen Wednesday night and Wallis Hall will reopen Thursday morning, according to a release from UR. 

According to student protesters, the demonstration was aimed at compelling the administration to respond to four key demands.

Those demands are:

1. Release a formal statement calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
2. Academic divestment in any program, study abroad, or scholarships with ties to Israel.
3. Lift bans on any students who were banned from campus as a result of protest involvement.
4. Assure students they will not face consequences for their actions, in working with administration on said demands.

The university did not answer questions from News10NBC on Wednesday.

The sit-in and subsequent protest sparked a range of reactions among students. 

One Jewish student, preferring to remain anonymous, expressed discomfort with some of the chants, including, “From the River to the Sea,” and “Intifada.” He said he knew family members who had been killed in Israel, due to the October 7 Hamas attack. 

The student said he had received a few threats on campus for his viewpoints, but declined to say what the threats were, so as to protect his identity.

Palestinian student Laila Khaled said the meaning of “Intifada,” means to “shake off” or a revolution. But, she said calls for freedom and dignity don’t come at the expense of any other group.

“When we call for a revolution, when we call for a revolution intifada, and for giving people their rights back, it does not mean that comes at the expense of any other group,” said Khaled. “So people who try to frame our movement as violence or frame it as calling for hate or violence against anyone – that is not true. And not only is that not true, that goes against what the entire movement stands for.”

“I want to keep these students safe,” said a Jewish faculty member Travis, who showed up in solidarity of the protesters. 

“I am so impressed by their bravery, dedication, and commitment, I want to do what I can to keep them safe.”

The students were discussing plans for water and food for the sit-in. There’s no word on how long they plan to be there.

A statement from UR over the weekend said in part:

“University administrators in fact made no commitment to either demand, but in particular made no commitment regarding a University divestment from any academic programs or ties with Israel, as is being inaccurately reported on some social media channels. University administrators made clear that neither demand was on the table. There has not and will not be any commitments about future academic divestment of University programs in Israel.”

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