(CBS DETROIT) – All activities at Wayne State University will as well will remain online until further notice. The university cites security concerns with a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus.
All classes have been moved online, as well as an orientation scheduled for Wednesday. All faculty and staff have been instructed to work remotely and all on-campus events have been canceled.
“There are no security concerns here. We are peaceful protesters,” said Ali Hassan, a student at Wayne State University and chairman of the Muslim Coalition.
He said the university’s move online shows how much power the encampment has.
“We feel good. We feel like this is the university that doesn’t have the upper hand over us.”
The university cited a “public safety concern” as the reason for moving classes online.
“If that’s true, I think they need to talk to the fire marshal they sent here twice,” Hassan said.
Protesters previously said they were told to remove electrical cords and rubbing alcohol, and they did so. They also condensed their camp to keep walkways open.
Patrick Lindsey, the university’s vice president of Government and Community Relations, visited the encampment Tuesday and offered a face-to-face meeting with two students.
“The offer still exists to meet with both President Espy, Governor Stancato and myself,” Lindsey said in a YouTube video posted by WSU.
The protesters have rejected the offer, saying they want to be able to send anyone to the rally. They said the two students chosen to participate in the rally were not Palestinian. They added that they would like any meeting with the university president to be public
“We also need to meet on our terms. This is not the representation we want for a meeting to discuss divestment,” said a camp organizer.
The group said they have no plans to leave the encampment until the university meets with them on their terms and agrees to begin divesting companies and funds linked to Israel.
“The university has a rich history of divestment. They divested during South African apartheid. They divested from tobacco companies. They did this. This university was built on social justice. So it’s very possible,” said Hassan.
The encampment has been in place since last Thursday. WSU told the camp to disperse Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., but the group declined.
Kelly Vaughen
