On the one year anniversary of mass arrests at Dartmouth, pro-Palestinian protesters have erected another encampment.
Read our live updates here:
12:38 a.m.: Protest settles for the night
Officers from the Department of Safety and Security removed Palestinian flags from Parkhurst Hall, while protesters cried out "shame!"
Remaining protesters plan to stay for the night, despite facing disciplinary action.
12:24 a.m.: Dartmouth’s Department of Safety and Security arrives back on the scene
Department of Safety and Security arrived at Parkhurst and distributed fliers to students advising them that they are subject to disciplinary proceedings.
“BE ADVISED,” the flier read. “You failed to comply with the previous warning. The College disciplinary processes have now begun.”
Protesters have been standing outside Parkhurst in the pouring rain.
11:52 p.m.: Dartmouth has not called the police, College spokesperson says
11:50 p.m.: College representatives explain reasoning for OVIS protocol addition
The proposed addition to the Office of Visa and Immigration Services protocol on law enforcement visiting campus — which led to the protesters taking down a tent around 8:30 p.m. — was the result of communication between College representatives and protesters.
“Our conversation with the protesters helped us to understand that adding a clarifying paragraph would give our community a greater sense of safety and support,” senior vice president for community and campus life Jennifer Rosales said.
The previous version of the policy did not contain language about requiring judicial warrants or defining non-public areas.
11:45 p.m.: Multiple students shotgun beer in front of Parkhurst Hall
Alex Rockmore ’27 and three others stood in front of the protesters and shotgunned beers. One onlooker documented them posing in front of the protest with a cellphone. Last May 1, Rockmore drove around the Green during the protest, blasting music in Hebrew with an Israeli flag hanging out of the car.
Rockmore declined a request to comment.
11:35 p.m.: College representatives inform protesters they risk disciplinary action
A College administrator handed out fliers to protesters, informing them that they risk disciplinary action if they keep the tent on Parkhurst Hall lawn.
Their actions potentially violate Standard II, which is “behavior that threatens the functioning of the College, such as disorderly conduct,” according to the flier. It also violates Standard VII, which is “failure to abide by College policy, rule and regulations.”
Negotiations have been going on between the College and protesters for the past two hours, since the last update.
8:32 p.m.: PSC takes down one of their two tents
The Palestine Solidarity Coalition took down one of their tents, in response to Dartmouth’s promise to revise Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s access to campus.
6:45 p.m.: Dartmouth approaches protesters with proposed change to OVIS’ law enforcement policy
Administrators handed protesters on the Parkhurst lawn a sheet of paper with proposed changes to Dartmouth’s policy that regulates law enforcement visiting campus.
The policy — “Protocol for U.S. Government and Law Enforcement Agency Site Visits Related to International Students and Scholars” — comes from the Office of Visa and Immigration Services. It articulates that Dartmouth will cooperate with outside agencies but protect the rights and privacy of community members. Specifically, the policy explains how to handle different types of contact with federal agencies.
The proposed addition reads, “Federal agents, including ICE, must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas [which are] areas not open to the public such as classrooms, housing and areas requiring a Dartmouth identification.”
This comes after the PSC and the Student Workers Collective at Dartmouth have made multiple bids for the administration to increase their protections of international students.
Palestine Solidarity Coalition leader Kevin Engel ’27 said that the PSC “won” this demand.
“Our second demand, we asked that ICE will not be on campus, and we won,” he said. “Or so they say, maybe … The next thing is to get it to the [SWCD] contract, legally binding material.”
6:18 p.m.: Negotiations with the administration have begun, according to PSC leader
In a speech to the crowd, Palestine Solidarity Coalition leader Kevin Engel ’27 said that “negotiations” with the administration have begun. Further, he said that some of the protesters will be “staying” on the Parkhurst lawn.
Trustees have been spotted on the scene. Department of Safety and Security officers are watching from outside Collis Center.
Protestors have begun to chant “Down with Beilock’s ignorance, students say no confidence.”
5:42 p.m.: Dartmouth offered protesters meeting with ACIR to present divestment proposal, College spokesperson says
College spokesperson Kathryn Kennedy said “Dartmouth administrators offered the protesters the opportunity to deliver their proposal to a representative of ACIR. They declined that opportunity, and demanded to present it directly to the board or to President Beilock instead.”
According to Kennedy, “The administrator they were speaking with was not authorized to approve” their request.
Officers from the Hanover Police Department are circling on bikes.
5:25 p.m.: College rejects demand for divestment proposal, according to a protester
The College rejected the demand for Dartmouth Divest for Palestine’s divestment proposal to be brought in front of Dartmouth’s Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility, according to Kevin Engel ’27.
Protestors have restarted chants and songs in front of Parkhurst Hall. Protester Roan Wade ’25 said that the group will continue to protest “until Palestine is free” and until the College meets their demands.
“We’re asking the Dartmouth Administration to have the Board of Trustees vote on the divestment proposal, which is a proposal that a coalition of faculties, students, alumni and community members wrote, that goes into great detail,” she said. “I’m following the College’s protocols for divestment. We are just asking for them to vote on that instead of delaying and obfuscating, and refusing to make progress.”
Wade added that they are also asking for a promise of non-cooperation with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, unless a warrant signed by a district court is provided.
“We believe that the College putting it in writing that they will not comply with ICE unless a warrant is provided by a district court judge is one of the best ways that we can ensure and make a step in the right direction to support non-citizen students here, especially because across the country, students who have rallied and shown their support for Palestine have been some of the most frequent targets of ICE,” she said.
Chants include “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” “we won’t back down, we will not rest, Dartmouth College will divest” and “Ethnic cleansing is a crime, Beilock should be doing time.”
Parkhurst Hall has been locked. People are watching the events unfold from the windows in Parkhurst.
3:55 p.m.: Students and community members are sitting quietly on the Parkhurst lawn
It is quiet on the Parkhurst lawn, but about forty people have gathered there.
Some students surround the nucleus of the two tents, while others spill out to the outskirts of the grass. Protesters talk amongst themselves, almost all sitting down.
1:52 p.m.: The crowd dwindles to about 25 people
The crowd around Parkhurst dwindled to approximately 25 people. Protesters started to read poems.
Women, gender and sexuality studies professor Molly Geidel spoke to protesters and encouraged them.
“I want to tell you that I am really proud of you,” Geidel said to the crowd. “I think everyone’s trying to tell you that up is down, that protesting genocide peacefully is aggression. It’s not true and you know that.”
Earlier, a protester said that Senior vice president for community and campus life Jennifer Rosales wanted to have a “dialogue” with the protesters.
“Rosales just came down and talked to us, and she said she wants to have a dialogue with us,” a protester — who was unidentifiable because they were wearing a mask — said.
This was met with yells of “shame!” from the crowd.
1:30 p.m.: Hanover police are circling
Protesters chanted “Beilock what do you say, how many kids have you killed today.”
Hanover Police Department has begun circling the Green. However, there are no police currently at the protest.
1:22 p.m.: Rosales says College is approaching protesters “through conversation”
Rosales approached the protesters.
After being asked how the administration is approaching the protesters, Rosales responded “ideally through conversation.”
The size of the protest has grown to about 60 people now.
“This is a living movement. This is not part of history,” Roan Wade ’25 said to the crowd. “The point of being at an Ivy League university is that you get to discuss and deliberate, but we cannot let ourselves stop there. We need to move forward. We need to shut the machine down.”
1:13 p.m.: Protesters begin to set up an encampment
Protesters have begun setting up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the lawn of Parkhurst Hall.
The protest began at 12 p.m. About 40 people were gathered in front of Parkhurst Hall, including a mix of students and non-students. Several protesters were carrying large Palestinian flags.
Chants included “Beilock Beilock you can’t hide,” and “We want justice, we want peace.”
As of 12:50 p.m., two tents had been set up. About 40 people were gathered in front of Parkhurst Hall. One Safety and Security officer was at the site of the protest. No Hanover Police or other Safety and Security officers were visible.
“We are prepared to get arrested,” a protester said. The protester was unidentifiable because they were wearing a mask.
Protesters were also practicing linking arm techniques.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
