San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Cal Poly Humboldt campus closes amid demonstrations
A Northern California university campus said Friday that it would close for the remainder of the school year after the occupation of an academic and administrative building by pro-Palestinian activists.
Since Monday, hundreds of students have occupied Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, leading to the ongoing closure of the campus. Students at the university used furniture, tents, chains and zip ties to block entrances to the buildings “in solidarity with those facing genocide in Gaza,” according to a statement from the organizers.
In an email sent to students, administrators announced that academic instruction and work would be conducted remotely until the end of the semester on May 10. The closure was attributed to the occupation of the buildings, coupled with the “inability to open other campus facilities,” prompting an abrupt change in plans.
“Since Monday night, protestors have attempted several times to break into multiple locked buildings with the intention of either locking themselves in, vandalizing, or stealing equipment,” the email read. “Vandalism and theft have continued across campus.”
Officials also reported the discovery of “hateful graffiti” targeting the Jewish community in at least two locations over the past few days. The campus administration estimates that the campus has suffered millions of dollars in damage.
Students at Cal Poly Humboldt, Stanford, UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California have occupied campus spaces this past week, urging university leadership to endorse a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and divest from companies supporting the Israeli military. This action aligns with demonstrations at numerous college campuses nationwide. But the Humboldt campus appeared to be the only one shut down completely in response.
Occupy Cal Poly Humboldt, the group leading the demonstration, alleged in a social media post that the school administration was seeking any pretext, “even a false one,” to justify the use of state and federal forces against the occupiers. They claimed that protesters were “beaten bloody” during a clash with authorities on Monday night that resulted in several arrests.
The school leadership stated that through its environmentally and socially responsible investment policies, the university’s endowment investments do not include direct investments in defense companies, Israeli securities or firms associated with defense. Additionally, Cal Poly Humboldt has no current ties with Israeli universities.
Campus authorities extended temporary amnesty to the occupiers via email on Friday, granting them until 4 p.m. to vacate the buildings to avoid arrest.
“In addition, voluntarily departing in this way will be considered as a mitigating factor in University conduct processes and may reduce the severity of sanctions imposed,” the message read.
On Thursday, the executive board of the Cal Poly Humboldt chapter of the California Faculty Association passed a vote of noconfidence in University President Tom Jackson and his Chief of Staff Mark Johnson, citing dissatisfaction with their handling of the protests.
The protests came more than six months after an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel, according to Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has led to nearly 35,000 deaths, according to the latest count from the Palestinian health ministry.