Around 1:30 p.m., approximately fifteen pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the reception area of the president’s office in Parkhurst Hall. They then left the building at 6 p.m., when it closed for the day.
In brief remarks after leaving the building, a protester wearing a keffiyeh said the protesters “successfully disrupted [administrators’] workday” with the sit-in.
The protesters held signs that read “divest” and “Palestine will be free,” according to videos reviewed by The Dartmouth. They also chanted “free, free Palestine.”
The protesters demanded that Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees review their divestment proposal, according to an Instagram post. This comes after Dartmouth’s Advisor Committee on Investor Responsibility rejected Dartmouth Divest for Palestine’s proposal more than a week ago.
“The proposal for divestment from the genocide in Gaza clearly lays out the crimes against humanity that corporations Dartmouth is invested in are perpetuating,” it wrote.
According to a campus-wide email from co-interim Deans of the College Anne Hudak and Eric Ramsey, a Department of Safety and Security officer and a president’s office staff member were hurt during the sit-in. They added that all protesters found to have violated College policies during the sit-in will face disciplinary action.
“While Dartmouth remains committed to dialogue, we want to be absolutely clear: there cannot and will not be any tolerance for the type of escalation we saw on our campus today,” Hudak and Ramsey wrote.
Hudak and Ramsey also alleged that some of the protesters were “unaffiliated with Dartmouth.”
Safety and Security locked the building and did not allow reporters inside. There were two Hanover Police Department vehicles on the Green and four Safety and Security vehicles behind the building.
In the Instagram post, the New Deal Coalition also called for the new Davidson Institute for Global Security to be shuttered, alleging that the group is funded by money from corporations that “assist in the massacring of Palestinian civilians.” According to Dartmouth News, the $34 million project is funded by alumni donations.
“The newly opened Davidson Institute is funded by money from corporations in the United Arab Emirates that work on artificial intelligence technology for the Israeli Occupying Force,” Dartmouth New Deal Coalition wrote in the post. “We demand that the institute be closed until funding from corporations complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity have reviewed and cut off.”
College spokesperson Jana Barnello characterized the protesters as “confrontational.” In a statement, she also wrote that the group “attempted to take files from the office.”
“Freedom of expression and dissent are strongly and broadly protected by Dartmouth policies. These kinds of behaviors are not,” Barnello wrote.
Religion professor Christopher MacEvitt — who was arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on May 1, 2024 — was admitted inside by security, alongside other administrators and house professors.
The house professors were present to “support de-escalation and mediation,” according to Barnello. Assistant dean for student life Ed McKenna and Office of Pluralism and Leadership director Rachelle Hall also entered the building around 2:15 p.m.
Safety and Security director Keiselim Montás was also inside Parkhurst, at one point taking photos of protesters, according to another video reviewed by The Dartmouth. Identification of student protesters has been a contested issue at pro-Palestinian rallies across the country, where students’ faces are often concealed with a mask or kaffiyeh.
Protesters put up a sign from the inside of a Parkhurst window reading “Palestine will be free within our lifetimes.” The window was open and chants, including “disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” were heard through the window. Signs were also visible from multiple windows in the building.
Protesters wrote slogans in chalk, including “Beilock, Beilock, you can’t hide,” in front of the building.
Update Appended (May 28, 2:58 p.m.): This article has been updated to include information from a College spokesperson.
Update Appended (May 28, 3:46 p.m.): This article has been updated to include information from an Instagram post from the New Deal Coalition.
Update Appended (May 28, 7:05 p.m.): This article was updated to reflect the fact that the protesters left Parkhurst.
Update Appended (May 28, 8:10 p.m.): The headline, subheadline and body of this article have been updated with information about the end of the protest.
Update Appended (May 28, 9:03 p.m.): This article was updated to include information from the College-wide email from co-interim Deans of the College Anne Hudak and Eric Ramsey.
Update Appended (May 28, 10:09 p.m.): This article was updated to include further information from the College-wide email from co-interim Deans of the College Anne Hudak and Eric Ramsey.
