Pro-Palestine protestors at Purdue University put an end to their 12-day encampment

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After 12 days of protesting on Purdue University’s campus, pro-Palestine student protestors have decided to end their encampment, citing Monday’s protest of the West Lafayette City Council as a crescendo moment to the students’ protest.

Purdue student protestor media liaisons also noted that the safety of students had become a concern as the number of student protestors has decreased since finals week as well as the university informing protestors it had reserved Memorial Mall for upcoming commencement events.

In hopes of avoiding any retaliation from the university’s administration, students complied with the request.

Last week, Purdue University’s administration threatened to suspend four of the protest organizers due to their involvement with the protest on campus as well as several alleged violations of the university’s student code of conduct that were noted in the letters the four students received.

When asked if the university administration threatened students if they didn’t take down the encampment by Tuesday, student liaisons explained that the university did not make any threats towards them, but they felt it would be better to comply with the university’s administration.

“I would say we can’t really speak on the administration threatening us because we’re not one of the four students who are receiving those directly, but I would say passively, just the lack of communication and the environment and energy of administration has been pretty threatening,” Christin Preuss, one of the student protestors’ media liaisons, said.

“We’re allowed to be here because it’s a demonstration and you don’t have a reservation for that, but we don’t want to take more risks, both for those four students and the organizations and people involved.”

Unlike other universities across the country, which have either arrested protesting students on campus or conceded to students' demands to divest from Israel, Purdue University’s leadership has done neither.

Over the last two weeks, university leadership has stayed relatively quiet on the matter of protesting students, excluding Jeffery Stefancic, Associate Dean of Students at Purdue University, who’s been in charge of watching over student protestors.

Although protestors were not able to speak with Purdue University’s president, Mung Chiang, and have him hear out their demands to divest from Israel, they do not believe their protest was unsuccessful.

“I do see it as a success. If anything, as a learning opportunity for anyone who passes by. One of the main reasons we were out here was to educate people and to learn more about why we’re here and what’s happening in the world,” Natalie Nasser, one of the student protestors’ media liaisons, said

“And the push for divestment has been happening long before the encampment and will continue afterward. I don’t think that we take it as a failure that the university hasn’t immediately complied with all of our demands,” Preuss said.

Although student protestors have packed up the materials in their “Purdue Liberation Zone”, students do not believe that the conversation is over.

“For the past 12 days, hundreds of students, faculty and community members have spent countless hours, days and nights at the Purdue Liberation Zone,” Preuss said.

“This liberation zone is more than just a protest; it is the start nationwide revolution led by students. It is the same revolution that led to the end of the Vietnam War and the end of Apartheid South Africa.

“More importantly, this liberation zone is a glimpse of hope. Of returning universities back to the hands of the people and (away from) the military-industrial complex. It is a glimpse of liberation.”

Student protestors plan to continue their protest on campus over the summer and continue to call for the West Lafayette City Council to adopt a resolution that would call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We stand in complete solidarity with the people of Palestine. We will not stop; we will not rest. This is only our gateway to recognize and push back stronger,” Nasser said.

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on X at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Pro-Palestine protestors at Purdue end their 12-day-long protest