Syracuse University officials issued a demand Wednesday to Gaza Solidarity Encampment members who have been camping at the heart of the university’s campus since late April: relocate for commencement ceremonies running from Thursday to the end of the week or face consequences under the student code of conduct.
The group of protesters — a mix of Syracuse University students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of community organizations that support Palestinian freedom — say they are staying put until the six demands they presented to university officials is fulfilled.
The encampment, first erected April 29, joined those seen at almost 200 universities across the world. It has drawn upward of 200 protesters, GSE organizers say. Students have congregated at those campuses and claimed them as Palestinian liberation zones, standing in solidarity with victims of the violent conflict.
Officials with SU’s student experience team urged protesters via the letter to move the encampment to two approved locations in light of incoming graduation proceedings starting Thursday and running through the end of the week; the greenspace adjacent to the life sciences complex on College Place, or the Women’s Building field at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Comstock Avenue. The university typically lays out a large tent at the Shaw Quadrangle for commencement ceremonies.
Cai Cafiero, a doctoral student at SU’s school of education and one of the GSE’s media liaisons, said Wednesday afternoon protesters will not budge until their list of demands has been addressed by university administrators.
“This is entirely dependent on Syracuse University administration,” Cafiero said. “We are ready to talk whenever they are.”
Protesters’ demands include urging the university to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, disclosure and divestment of university contributions to companies tied to Israel and the supply of weapons to aid in war efforts, termination of programs tied to Israeli academic institutions and arms of the country’s security apparatus, among others.
A university spokesperson said in a statement protesters’ refusal to relocate was unfortunate and disappointing and will be treated as a violation of university policy. The university plans to continue preparing the quad for commencement activities, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not respond to inquiries regarding potential disciplinary actions in response to alleged violations of university policy, as well as questions regarding claims made by protesters accusing the university of being unresponsive to protesters’ requests to negotiate demands in earnest.
So far, Cafiero said, GSE members have not discussed potential relocation, and will not do so until the group’s negotiating team has a “good faith” meeting with university administrators.
“We were very quick to come to a consensus,” she added. “If we have not gained anything from being here, then we are not done.”
Cafiero said the university has stonewalled talks with protesters and GSE organizers and stalled on setting up meetings between both sides. While both sides have met at least once, Cafiero noted the university has been deliberately slow in providing appropriate meeting times for future discussions with protesters.
The next available time slot the university’s team provided protesters for a meeting is May 13, the Monday after commencement ceremonies, Cafiero said.
Protesters are also calling on the university to reach an understanding on their list of demands. Cafiero said the list of demands is purposefully broad, but that protesters want to be able to boil them down to actionable items that the university could enact.
“We want the university to talk about ‘what does this mean to them? Does it mean the same to us?,’” she noted. “And what are we actually doing when we say these things?”
The university’s letter requesting protesters to relocate also called for protesters who are not SU students, faculty, or staff to leave the encampment citing safety concerns.
GSE has received an outpouring of community support since the beginning, with residents and members of local organizations like Jewish Voices for Peace Syracuse, and the local chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Democratic Socialists of America, donating food, tents, and other items to the encampment.
“That is another attempt to weaken our base,” Cafiero said.
The encampment has brought increased attention to the university’s quad. Some students come for teach-ins as the protesters share a meal. It’s also drawn counter protesters for Israel.
GSE has also accused Ari Spinoza, a staff member for Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY), of videotaping them as they sit in the encampment. The organization on its Instagram posted a video of Spinoza taping the encampment. Williams’ office has not responded to a request for comment.
As commencement ceremonies near, protesters say they are watchful of instances of police violence that have occurred at campuses like Columbia University, where New York Mayor Eric Adams and university officials have dispatched police in riot gear to disperse protesters, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of protesters.
Cafiero said GSE members have collectively discussed a potential police raid of the encampment, devising tactics for potential evacuation for some students. For instance, international students could be increasingly vulnerable due to their immigration status.
The group has also reached out to local organizations like Cuse Action Medics, a volunteer medic collective providing free basic healthcare care at protests, to prepare for a law enforcement response similar to those at other encampments.
“I should not know how to defend myself against tear gas, that is not in my doctoral program,” Cafiero said. “We are in disproportionate amounts of danger for the actions we are doing.”
Read more of central current’s coverage
Local advocacy organizations rally for Syracuse tenants’ rights (photo of the week)
About 75 people gathered in Clinton Square and marched through the city for the rally.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Syracuse University end encampment
Syracuse University ultimately rejected the protesters’ demands from the encampment.
‘Clayscapes’ at the Everson features artworks that explore landscape
The exhibit features artwork that explores the notion of landscape in different ways.
Smokepail Studios’ mother-daughter duo finds connection to art and each other through pottery
How Ellen and Dia Haffar started making art together, rediscovering their love for ceramics and the depth of their bond.
The 2024 Syracuse Poster Project focuses on CNY’s historical figures
The project features Jermaine Wesley Loguen, Sarah Loguen and Alf Jacques, among others.
