On May 28, student activist Roan Wade ’25 was suspended from the College. In an interview with The Dartmouth, Wade stated that the College notified them of their suspension following a pro-Palestinian sit-in in Parkhurst. Wade refused to confirm whether they were present at the sit-in.
In a letter sent to Wade, which was obtained by The Dartmouth, co-interim Dean of the College Anne Hudak wrote that Wade had been temporarily suspended “out of concern for the safety of the community and functioning of the educational environment.”
“Since October 2023, you have engaged in a series of behaviors that have violated the College’s Standards of Conduct and resulted in disciplinary sanctions,” Hudak wrote. “You have continued to engage in these behaviors despite the College’s response. Your alleged behaviors on May 28, 2025, represent a significant escalation in the threat to community safety and functioning.”
Wade was previously arrested on October 28, 2023 in relation to an pro-Palestinian encampment on the lawn in front of Parkhurst. They stated that they have faced disciplinary action from the College before, including being put on probation after their arrest in October 2023, and was recently put on probation following participating in an encampment on May 1, 2025, although they were not made aware of this until last Thursday due to an administrative error.
In a statement, College spokesperson Jana Barnello wrote that federal law prohibits Dartmouth from speaking openly about the case.
“We understand that a student has self-identified through posts on social media, but federal law prohibits Dartmouth from discussing individual student sanctions,” she wrote.
On May 30, Wade submitted an appeal to reverse their suspension. It was rejected.
“I recognize this has been a challenging time and it is helpful to elucidate in an appeal; however, to be clear, in your request for review, you provide very little new information on the incident that resulted in your removal from campus,” co-interim dean of the College Eric Ramsey wrote in a letter to Wade. “ ... Your appeal is denied, and your immediate temporary suspension is upheld.”
According to Wade, the terms of their suspension prohibits them from accessing all Dartmouth-owned and Dartmouth-affiliated properties, including Dartmouth shuttles. Wade also stated that they were “forcibly withdrawn” from their classes and will not receive credit for them, and their status as a student employee was terminated. They also stated that they have experienced financial hardships since being suspended.
“I don’t have access to food — I was on a [campus] meal plan,” Wade said. “I’m using savings to buy food in town. That’s not sustainable now that I’ve lost my employment.”
Wade expressed that they were unsure whether they were going to be able to graduate, especially due to financial concerns.
“I don’t know if I am going to get financial aid for a supposed 13th term or if I’m going to have to pay, because you only get financial aid for 12 terms … If they accept me back to make up for the courses I’m not getting credit for, that would be $30,000 I just don’t have,” Wade said. “So, they’re essentially preventing any possibility of my graduation.”
According to Dartmouth’s 24-25 financial aid handbook, “Dartmouth scholarship eligibility is limited to the first 12 terms of enrollment,” although requests for exceptions are allowed.
Wade stated that, due to the immediate nature of their suspension, they were not given a timeline as to when an administrative hearing might take place.
“Whether or not [a hearing] will be afforded to me in the future is unclear,” Wade said. “They claim that they’ll eventually get to it, but they haven’t told me when, but the immediate nature of my [suspension] has been extremely materially harmful to me.”
