CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As talks between the University of Chicago and a group of pro-Palestinian students camped out on the quad stalled on Monday, 120 faculty and staff members showed support for the protesters.
History professor Faith Hillis said the students behind what’s been called the “Popular University Encampment” are not impeding classes and have been nonviolent in their protests.
“Not everyone likes the message that the students had for us, and not everyone wants to hear it, but discomfort is not the same as disruption,” Hillis said.
Philosophy professor Anton Ford echoed students’ demands and called on the university leadership to both divest and give up on staying neutral on the issue of the way, citing a decades-old university document.
“Even the Kelvin Report makes room for exceptional moments, when the university’s ownership of property, including its financial investments, might have to be reassessed because they are incompatible with ‘paramount social values,’” Ford said.
Some protesters said they came ready to be arrested amid fears of a late-night police raid, which ended up not happening.
In a statement, a University of Chicago spokesperson told WBBM that faculty have “broad freedom to express their views and pursue their academic interests.”
It was a much quieter day on the North Side at DePaul University, following intense protests and counter protests over the Israel-Hamas war took place over the weekend.
Xander, a DePaul student who declined to share his last name, said he had many concerns.
“I’m feeling sad,” he said. “I really think that the school’s not doing a great job in handling the situation. The camp has been out for around five or six days now, and DePaul’s done nothing to take them down. As a Jewish student, I don’t really feel safe here.”
WBBM tried to get a comment from the Palestinian demonstrators on campus, but students said no one was available.
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