The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024
VOLUME 145, NO. 24
SLAM DUNK WUSlam snaps back into competition. (Scene, pg 4)
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CAPTION CONTEST Enter this week’s caption contest! (Scene, pg 4)
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Interview with standout WashU softball pitcher, Maria Brooks. (Sports, pg 7)
Pro-Palestine protest at admitted Chancellor Martin issues students event results in court statement about Bear summons for protesters Day protest and egging incident
ALIANA MEDIRATTA JOEL SWIRNOFF
MANAGING NEWS EDITOR NEWS EDITOR
Protesters shut down an admitted students event as part of a proPalestine demonstration calling on Washington University officials to divest from Boeing. As a result, the Washington University Police Department issued 10 protesters court summons for trespassing, disturbing the peace, and refusing to disperse, April 13. Resist WashU posted to their Instagram in the morning asking followers to help “shut down admitted students day” at Graham Chapel, referencing the WashU Admissions event, Bear Day, which included a full day of programming around campus. Around 9:13 a.m., protesters inside rolled out banners with pro-Palestine slogans from the second-floor balcony and went up onto the stage, chanting “WashU, WashU, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.” According to protest organizers, WUPD made an announcement informing them they needed to leave the building or they would start arresting students at 10:30 a.m. At the time of this announcement, roughly 10 students decided to stay inside the building, while around 40 protesters stood outside the chapel and chanted with banners. At around 9:15 a.m., WUPD directed all prospective students to leave the building and stopped allowing people into the chapel. They did not allow reentry for two hours, when all students who stayed on the stage were released with court summons, with a date of June 4. Sarah, a student protester who wished to only be referred to by her first name due to potential disciplinary repercussions, said that the event was necessary because the University was not listening to Student Union’s recent demands to divest from Boeing. “Often, figures of authority will encourage people to use sanctioned channels to affect change, and that’s exactly what the student body did in passing the [Student Union] resolution to implore the University to divest from Boeing,” she said. “Students went through the proper channels and the University has completely declined to respond,
AVI HOLZMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
BRI NITSBERG | STUDENT LIFE Protestors hold up pro-Palestine signs and chant outside of Graham Chapel. there’s no formal accountability, so we thought it was necessary to make it clear that the demand still stands.” Daniel Cazares, Class of 2023, was one of the people issued a summons and said he hoped that the protest would deter students from attending WashU. “A few families stayed behind until the cops fully cleared the chapel,” Cazares said. “I doubt that their kids will come here, which to me is mission accomplished.” Cazares also said that they hoped the protests made prospective students aware of how they thought WashU treats dissenting students. “This is a place of violence,” Cazares said. “Don’t come here unless you want a cop’s hand on your neck.” After leaving Graham Chapel, families stood outside for approximately 20 minutes as chanting from the protesters continued. Admissions staff then directed them to go to the Danforth University Center and later to lecture halls on the East End of campus. Emily Small, a parent of a prospective student and a selfdescribed activist, said that she understood the students’ reasoning but that she disagreed with their tactics. “I’m sympathetic to the cause, but this is not the way that you bring people together,” Small said. “They’ve just pissed off this entire
chapel full of people. That’s not good organizing.” Small’s son, Phoenix Unzueta, said that he was disappointed with the timing of the protest but that it wouldn’t impact his decision to matriculate at WashU. “I think it kind of ruins the experience of admitted students who are coming here wanting to experience campus and wanting to make a decision that’s going to impact the next four years of their life,” Unzueta said. “It won’t impact my decision, I just have a very limited time on campus today, and they’re wasting my time.” Sophia Kalimian, a student accepted through Early Decision, said that she was scared by the protest. “I think a lot of us chose WashU for the [large] Jewish population, and this is so scary,” Kalimian said. “I’m just gonna try and find people that share my values.” After most people had left for the DUC, one parent, who asked to remain anonymous, stayed behind to film the students and chanted quietly with them before leaving. “I am very proud, especially that they’re standing for justice in Palestine,” he said. “I’ve never seen this diversity of different kinds of people standing for justice. I am very surprised.” As the protesters outside waited for the roughly 10 students who were
inside, they began to chant “IDF, KKK, WUPD are all the same,” referring to the Israeli Defense Forces. Junior Maclean Kelley, one of the protesters who was served a court summons, said that the chant pointed out the similarities between the organizations. “What [the chant] means is that all of these organizations are armed, are white supremacists, and [are] colonizing forces, and that’s why they’re all the same.” Inside the chapel, at around the same time, a video on the Resist WashU Instagram account story showed protesters continuing to chant. “There is only one solution, intifada revolution,” they shouted. Additionally, as University administrators and WUPD officers walked inside and around Graham Chapel, protesters yelled “shame” at them. Kelley, as well as many of the other protesters, also called out individual University administrators, including Chancellor Martin and Dean of Students Rob Wild, at some points chanting directly at them as they walked around Graham. “I think Dr. G[onzalez] should be really embarrassed by how they treat students who are talking back to the University,” Kelley said. “Students are gonna keep shutting sh*t down as long as the University doesn’t listen to our demands.” On the evening of the protest, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Anna Gonzalez sent out a University-wide email alongside Provost Beverly Wendland explaining that the students involved in the protest would be “subject to further disciplinary action” in addition to the court summons, and that non-students involved would be banned from campus. Gonzalez also criticized the protesters for staging the protest during Bear Day as well as language used in their chants.
Read the rest online:
BRI NITSBERG | STUDENT LIFE Senior RJ Lucas walks out of Graham Chapel, holding a court summons, where other protestors are waiting for him.
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Chancellor Andrew Martin released a statement on April 17 reaffirming Washington University community guidelines. The statement responded to the Bear Day protest on April 13 and offered an update on an egging incident that occurred at the Bear’s Den (BD) dining hall on March 21. “Both of these incidents were unacceptable and have caused harm to members of our community and to the university itself.” Martin wrote. “I’m writing to you today because we all should expect better of the WashU community.” Martin said the demonstration at Graham Chapel was a “blatant” violation of the WashU Demonstrations and Disruption Policy since it disrupted a University function. Twelve protestors at the event received court summons for trespassing, and Martin confirmed in his statement that WashU has initiated their student conduct process for the three WashU students who were protesting. Additionally, the protestors who are not students will be banned from campus and arrested if they return. Martin also wrote that the investigation into the egging incident was completed on April 16. “Students – both Greek and nonGreek – participated in an event organized by a fraternity chapter that involved activities that were distasteful and disruptive to our Sodexo dining services colleagues at the Bear’s Den, including, for example, throwing eggs,” Martin wrote. He went on to clarify that the investigation revealed that the eggs were not thrown at dining hall workers. “Although our Sodexo colleagues indicated that eggs were not thrown at them, the actions of those involved showed great disrespect and disregard for their well-being,” he wrote. As a result of the incident, Martin stated that one of the involved organizations was suspended, and the other was placed on probation, lasting until Dec. 1, 2024. On the Campus Life section of WashU’s website, it states that Kappa Sigma is on social probation and temporary suspension, and that Alpha Phi is on temporary suspension. Martin also clarified the investigation’s results regarding the usage of a racial slur by an individual involved in the incident. “After reviewing all available evidence and speaking with witnesses, we cannot conclusively determine that this happened, and if it did, who said it or whether it might have been directed at any individual.” Regardless of the conclusion about a potential slur being said, Martin wrote that he wanted to make it clear that WashU stands against all forms of racism, bigotry, harassment, and discrimination.
SEE MARTIN, PAGE 2