After weeks of protests, the Portland State Student Union and Portland State University President Ann Cudd released a joint statement Friday night that appeared to address some of the demands of student protesters.
The statement, signed by Kad and Student Affairs President Yusuf Ibrahim, called for a ceasefire in Gaza and acknowledged the peaceful student protests that have taken place on campus, and condemned the destruction of university facilities and violence during some of the demonstrations.
Cudd also voiced support for new curriculum proposals focused on combating Islamophobia, anti-Semitic, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab rhetoric.
Additionally, PSU has agreed to host a Palestinian scholar in the fall 2025 semester and create a scholarship for a student directly affected by the fighting in Gaza.
This came after a protest Thursday night in which two protesters chained themselves to the doors of the university's administration building, leading to a forceful response by campus police officers, several arrests and a hospital visit by PSU Campus Police Chief Willie Halliburton.
Portland Police Commissioner Bob Day condemned the protesters' actions, specifically accusing them of impeding efforts to get Halliburton access to needed medical attention.
“I am troubled that these actions are being portrayed as legitimate political protest,” Day said in a statement.
Hours before Day's comments, and prior to Cudd's joint letter with ASPSU, the PSU president released a statement calling on the campus community to end disruptive protests on the school's downtown campus.
“This can't continue,” Cudd said Friday morning. “This is not a campus atmosphere that anyone at Portland State can tolerate.”
Neither Cudd nor Day nor a university spokesperson would provide details about Halliburton's medical emergency by Friday evening.
Thursday's protest against the Gaza war began as a peaceful student-led demonstration at the university's Urban Plaza. Around 5 p.m., about 30 demonstrators moved the demonstration a few blocks away to the Richard and Maureen Neuberger Center, the campus' main administrative building that houses PSU's president's office. Two of the demonstrators chained themselves to the building's doors. Both the university's campus public safety officers and the Portland Police Bureau responded to what was happening at Neuberger, where a group of protesters tried to protect the chained protesters from police.
Videos of the response posted on social media showed campus police officers shoving protesters to the ground, and other students reported that at least one officer punched, grabbed, and made violent threats against protesters.
Officers ultimately arrested seven people on Thursday, including two protesters who were blocking the main entrance to the Administration Building. Three of the seven arrested were PSU students.
Last night's protest follows a series of student-led demonstrations on Portland's downtown campus protesting Israel's military actions in Gaza. The most disruptive protest was a multi-day occupation of the university's Branford Price Miller Library that began in late April. Vandalism and other damage to the library prompted administrators to close it until the fall. The incident and the university's response have left many in the PSU community divided over free speech rights and campus safety.
In a statement posted to Instagram earlier this week, an account associated with student protesters at Penn State said university officials' responses to past demonstrations were an attempt to stifle free speech on campus.
“PSU only allows debate and social justice activism if it does not interfere with profits and the livelihood of its largely white management,” the statement said.
Some student activists say the recent protests have been peaceful with no vandalism, and the only reason they turned violent is because of the police response, they say.
Another demonstration is planned for Friday night, again outside the main building.
Student protesters are demanding that PSU cut all ties with Boeing and other manufacturers that supply military equipment to Israel. The university has no financial investment in the aerospace company but receives donations from Boeing. PSU has agreed to suspend its relationship with Boeing and hold a discussion about the ethics of its relationship with the company. In a joint statement, the ASPSU reiterated its commitment to continuing to work with Cudd on the Boeing issue.
PSU President Cudd said in a statement on campus Friday that discussions about Boeing will take place on June 5. She said she supports While she disagrees with the right to free speech on campus, she said she believes rules will be enforced to keep campus safe.
“While I endure the abuse I receive every day, I do not tolerate hate speech directed at others and am committed to making this a safe place for students, faculty and staff of all backgrounds,” Cudd said in a statement.
Protests at PSU have generally been larger and more disruptive than demonstrations at other Oregon universities. Student protesters at the University of Oregon began clearing their encampment on the Eugene campus on Thursday, with university officials agreeing to some of the protesters' demands.
Copyright 2024 Oregon Public Broadcasting
