PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Six University of Pennsylvania students participating in the on-campus encampment were placed on mandatory temporary leaves of absence Thursday, pending results of an investigation.
Penn sophomore Eliana Atienza, an international student from the Philippines, is one of those students.
She told our partners at NBC10 she received word Thursday morning she must “separate from the university,” and has since been denied access to her dorm, her Penn card no longer works, and she is prohibited from entering any Penn facility.
“I don't have any family to go back home to here,” she said.
“When the university fails to protect its Palestinian students, we create a freedom camp. When the university ignores us, disciplines protesters, denies a space to host teach-ins and movie screenings, we continue. The only threat here is the power of the people and the students we have standing behind us,” Atienza said.
According to protesters, Atienza was one of the students involved in negotiations with Penn officials.
Solidarity encampment expands
Organizers of the encampment said their talks with the university Wednesday night went nowhere. The next morning, about a dozen tents were pitched on the lawn to the left of the Ben Franklin statue in front of College Hall.
Protesters say they aren’t going anywhere until Penn discloses investments, divests from businesses with ties to the Israeli government, and defends the rights of students who express support for Palestinians.
Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed the encampment at an event outside Pittsburgh Thursday, saying the situation is getting out of control.
“All students should feel safe when they're on campus. All students have a legal right to feel safe on campus. And the University of Pennsylvania has an obligation to their safety. It is past time for the university to act, to address this, to disband the encampment, and to ensure order and safety on campus,” he said.
University administrators say the encampment is a violation of university policies and that the situation has led to harassment and threats between organizers and others.