{"id":685,"date":"2025-03-05T12:01:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T13:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/?p=685"},"modified":"2025-03-06T12:39:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T12:39:49","slug":"nyu-bars-20-plus-law-students-from-bobst-after-pro-palestinian-sit-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/05\/nyu-bars-20-plus-law-students-from-bobst-after-pro-palestinian-sit-in\/","title":{"rendered":"NYU bars 20-plus law students from Bobst after pro-Palestinian sit-in"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NYU has barred nearly 30 law students from entering most university buildings after staging an eight-hour sit-in outside President Linda Mills\u2019 office on Tuesday. The group had sent a letter to Mills that morning, demanding she meet with them to discuss the university\u2019s student conduct policy, its stance on immigration and its investments in companies with ties to Israel amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Members of NYU\u2019s chapter of Law Students for Justice in Palestine congregated on the 12th floor of Bobst Library at around 10 a.m., declaring that they would not leave until they scheduled a meeting with Mills. The students left at about 6 p.m., chanting \u201cshame\u201d as they walked down stairs to the library\u2019s lobby. A member of LSJP, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said that Dean of Students Rafael Rodriguez had told them Mills was not in her office that day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdminstration was extremely aggressive,\u201d the LSJP member told WSN. \u201cFrom the very beginning, they were adamant that they would not be allowing any kind of discussion regarding negotiation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor, a second-year NYU Law student who requested partial anonymity due to safety concerns, said that Rodriguez would not find an alternative time for them to meet with Mills or her chief of staff, Emma Wolfe. Rodriguez repeatedly threatened the group with disciplinary action if they remained on the 12th floor, and shortly afterward, Campus Safety officers filmed students\u2019 IDs and handed out pamphlets detailing the university\u2019s protest policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor said that students received emails from the Division of Student Affairs informing them that they were \u201cprohibited from entering any other university locations for any purpose other than attending a scheduled class\u201d or their assigned residence halls, and that they were specifically restricted access to Bobst. A copy of the email obtained by WSN detailed that further action is pending review from the School of Law\u2019s Executive Committee and the Office of the Dean of Students.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>video posted on LSJP\u2019s Instagram account<\/span><\/a>, the group lined up against the railing with signs reading \u201cDIVEST\u201d and \u201cNYU LAW STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE\u201d sprawled across the floor. Taylor also said when they initially reached the 12th floor, there was only one Campus Safety officer at the top of the stairs \u2014 but that within minutes, there were several monitoring the group. Several students also told WSN that demonstrators could not leave to use the bathroom and return to the sit-in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA group of law students rushed past our Campus Safety officers and entered the 12th floor of the university\u2019s main library,\u201d NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to WSN. \u201cThe students were told that disregarding the direction of Campus Safety officers, disrupting university operations and protesting in the library \u2014 all of which they did \u2014 are violations of university rules.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the demonstration took place, around two dozen students and faculty picketed outside the library with the same commands. The students held signs reading \u201cNYU OUT OF PALESTINE\u201d and \u201cSHUT IT DOWN!\u201d and chanted \u201cLinda Mills, your hands are red\u201d and \u201cLinda Mills, you can\u2019t hide.\u201d The anonymous student told WSN that several counterprotesters aggressively approached students, but that Campus Safety officers did not address the agitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students told WSN that after the group disbanded, around 20 students from the protest and sit-in walked to Vanderbilt Hall \u2014 however, after one student showed their identification to a Campus Safety officer in front of the law school building, the entire group was told to line up along the side of the building and were denied entry. When a second group of students not present at the demonstration asked why the students were waiting outside the building, they were also barred from entering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NYU Law spokesperson Michael Orey said in a statement to WSN that that there was \u201ca brief delay in admitting people\u201d to Vanderbilt Hall, and that all students showing their NYU IDs \u201cwho were not on a persona non-grata list\u201d were permitted into the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was based entirely on the way that we looked,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cFor example, any person who walked up to the entrance of the law school in a suit was immediately ushered in for an event, and the 20 of us who showed up in keffiyehs \u2014 who are actual law students \u2014 were immediately told that we could not enter.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The group\u2019s publicized letter to Mills called on NYU to divest from companies with ties to Israel, shut down its site in Tel Aviv and pardon students facing disciplinary action for their participation in pro-Palestinian protests. They also demanded the university counter any efforts from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to surveil, arrest or deport students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, a <\/span>series of publicized conversations<\/span><\/a> between Mills and an NYU parent \u2014 who has called for the deportation of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses through a popular Facebook group \u2014 drew criticism from students and faculty. The incident was a major talking point at Tuesday\u2019s demonstration, where students criticized Mills for speaking with the parent while not having met with pro-Palestinian organizations on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re waiting outside to be afforded the same audience that Linda Mills has afforded other actors after months of students being ignored,\u201d the anonymous LSJP member said. \u201cThey\u2019re prepared to wait until that comes about.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In December, <\/span>at least 13 students were suspended<\/span><\/a> \u2014 and several more were issued persona non grata statuses \u2014 after holding sit-ins on the library\u2019s top floor and in the main lobby. The demonstrations had similarly called for administrators to reinstate negotiations with students, claiming they had previously agreed to disclose its investment portfolio. The suspensions have since been the subject of <\/span>several protests<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>petitions<\/span><\/a> from students, faculty and alumni.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, NYU said it would \u201c<\/span>comply with the law<\/span><\/a>\u201d in regards to the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on immigration. President Donald Trump has called for the deportation of \u201call foreign students and faculty who support Hamas\u201d and <\/span>recently flagged NYU<\/span><\/a> as one of 10 universities subject to an investigation about antisemitism on campus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dharma Niles contributed reporting.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Update, March 5: This article has been updated with a statement from an NYU Law spokesperson.<\/em><\/p>\n

Contact Amelia Hernandez Gioia at\u00a0agioia@nyunews.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

This story NYU bars 20-plus law students from Bobst after pro-Palestinian sit-in<\/a> appeared first on Washington Square News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NYU has barred nearly 30 law students from entering most university buildings after staging an eight-hour sit-in outside President Linda Mills\u2019 office on Tuesday. The group had sent a letter to Mills that morning, demanding she meet with them to discuss the university\u2019s student conduct policy, its stance on immigration and its investments in companies with ties to Israel amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.\u00a0 Members of NYU\u2019s chapter of Law Students for Justice in Palestine congregated on the 12th floor of Bobst Library at around 10 a.m., declaring that they would not leave until they scheduled a meeting with Mills. The students left at about 6 p.m., chanting \u201cshame\u201d as they walked down stairs to the library\u2019s lobby. A member of LSJP, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said that Dean of Students Rafael Rodriguez had told them Mills was not in her office that day.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAdminstration was extremely aggressive,\u201d the LSJP member told WSN. \u201cFrom the very beginning, they were adamant that they would not be allowing any kind of discussion regarding negotiation.\u201d\u00a0 Taylor, a second-year NYU Law student who requested partial anonymity due to safety concerns, said that Rodriguez would not find an alternative time for them to meet with Mills or her chief of staff, Emma Wolfe. Rodriguez repeatedly threatened the group with disciplinary action if they remained on the 12th floor, and shortly afterward, Campus Safety officers filmed students\u2019 IDs and handed out pamphlets detailing the university\u2019s protest policy. Taylor said that students received emails from the Division of Student Affairs informing them that they were \u201cprohibited from entering any other university locations for any purpose other than attending a scheduled class\u201d or their assigned residence halls, and that they were specifically restricted access to Bobst. A copy of the email obtained by WSN detailed that further action is pending review from the School of Law\u2019s Executive Committee and the Office of the Dean of Students.\u00a0\u00a0 In a video posted on LSJP\u2019s Instagram account, the group lined up against the railing with signs reading \u201cDIVEST\u201d and \u201cNYU LAW STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE\u201d sprawled across the floor. Taylor also said when they initially reached the 12th floor, there was only one Campus Safety officer at the top of the stairs \u2014 but that within minutes, there were several monitoring the group. Several students also told WSN that demonstrators could not leave to use the bathroom and return to the sit-in. \u201cA group of law students rushed past our Campus Safety officers and entered the 12th floor of the university\u2019s main library,\u201d NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to WSN. \u201cThe students were told that disregarding the direction of Campus Safety officers, disrupting university operations and protesting in the library \u2014 all of which they did \u2014 are violations of university rules.\u201d\u00a0 As the demonstration took place, around two dozen students and faculty picketed outside the library with the same commands. The students held signs reading \u201cNYU OUT OF PALESTINE\u201d and \u201cSHUT IT DOWN!\u201d and chanted \u201cLinda Mills, your hands are red\u201d and \u201cLinda Mills, you can\u2019t hide.\u201d The anonymous student told WSN that several counterprotesters aggressively approached students, but that Campus Safety officers did not address the agitations. Students told WSN that after the group disbanded, around 20 students from the protest and sit-in walked to Vanderbilt Hall \u2014 however, after one student showed their identification to a Campus Safety officer in front of the law school building, the entire group was told to line up along the side of the building and were denied entry. When a second group of students not present at the demonstration asked why the students were waiting outside the building, they were also barred from entering.\u00a0 NYU Law spokesperson Michael Orey said in a statement to WSN that that there was \u201ca brief delay in admitting people\u201d to Vanderbilt Hall, and that all students showing their NYU IDs \u201cwho were not on a persona non-grata list\u201d were permitted into the building. \u201cIt was based entirely on the way that we looked,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cFor example, any person who walked up to the entrance of the law school in a suit was immediately ushered in for an event, and the 20 of us who showed up in keffiyehs \u2014 who are actual law students \u2014 were immediately told that we could not enter.\u201d\u00a0 The group\u2019s publicized letter to Mills called on NYU to divest from companies with ties to Israel, shut down its site in Tel Aviv and pardon students facing disciplinary action for their participation in pro-Palestinian protests. They also demanded the university counter any efforts from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to surveil, arrest or deport students. Last month, a series of publicized conversations between Mills and an NYU parent \u2014 who has called for the deportation of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses through a popular Facebook group \u2014 drew criticism from students and faculty. The incident was a major talking point at Tuesday\u2019s demonstration, where students criticized Mills for speaking with the parent while not having met with pro-Palestinian organizations on campus. \u201cThey\u2019re waiting outside to be afforded the same audience that Linda Mills has afforded other actors after months of students being ignored,\u201d the anonymous LSJP member said. \u201cThey\u2019re prepared to wait until that comes about.\u201d\u00a0 In December, at least 13 students were suspended \u2014 and several more were issued persona non grata statuses \u2014 after holding sit-ins on the library\u2019s top floor and in the main lobby. The demonstrations had similarly called for administrators to reinstate negotiations with students, claiming they had previously agreed to disclose its investment portfolio. The suspensions have since been the subject of several protests and petitions from students, faculty and alumni.\u00a0 Last month, NYU said it would \u201ccomply with the law\u201d in regards to the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on immigration. President Donald Trump has called for the deportation of \u201call foreign students and faculty who support Hamas\u201d and recently flagged NYU as one of 10 universities subject to an investigation about antisemitism on campus.\u00a0 Dharma Niles contributed reporting. Update, March 5: This article has been updated with a statement from an NYU Law spokesperson. Contact Amelia Hernandez Gioia at\u00a0agioia@nyunews.com. This story NYU bars 20-plus law students from Bobst after pro-Palestinian sit-in appeared first on Washington Square News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":688,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions\/688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}