Cal Poly Humboldt campus closed through end of semester following antiwar protests
ARCATA, Calif. - Cal Poly Humboldt is moving to remote classes and shutting down its campus following the pro-Palestinian protesters occupying Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East.
The campus is closed from Friday through May 10. School administrators say more details are to follow about the campus closure.
The university says protesters have attempted to break into multiple locked buildings to either lock themselves in, vandalize the place, or steal equipment and say vandalism and theft have occurred across campus.
The university has engaged with student protesters and responded to their demands.
One of the demands from pro-Palestine protesters is for the university to cut ties with all Israeli universities. Cal Poly Humboldt says they do not have any current ties to Israeli universities directly.
They did acknowledge a listing with the University of Haifa in Haifa, Israel, but said the opportunity is through the California State University International Study Abroad program and not the Cal Poly Humboldt program. That program is also not accepting any students.
The university says they also do not directly invest their endowments in any defense companies or securities issued by Israeli companies or to defense firms.
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Cal Poly Humboldt says those who left the occupied buildings before 4 p.m. Friday would not face any immediate arrests and that their voluntary departure would be considered "as a mitigating factor in the University conduct processes and may reduce the severity of sanctions imposed."
Cal Poly Humboldt is another university in a growing list of schools where dozens, if not hundreds, gather calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Protests have been seen at colleges across the U.S., including the Bay Area's U.C. Berkeley, where students have set up a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," at Atlanta's Emory University, New York University and Columbia University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles in LA, and George Washington University in D.C.
USC has since canceled its main stage commencement after previously canceling the valedictorian's speech following "safety concerns."
These protests have seen dozens of arrests, including at Columbia University where over 100 protesters were arrested and several others suspended, including the daughter of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
O. Gloria Okorie is a reporter for KTVU. Email O. Gloria at o.gloria.okorie@fox.com or call her at 510-874-0175. Follow her on Twitter @ogloriaokorie.