On Nov. 9th, leaders of Students for a Free Palestine led a walkout at 1:45 p.m. Earlier that day, Oberlin’s SFP chapter, along with chapters at Denison University, Kenyon College, and The College of Wooster, released a joint statement and a petition with five demands in response to their colleges’ statements on the Israel–Palestine conflict.
Unlike the walkout two weeks ago, which circled the perimeter of Tappan Square, this walkout led directly to the Cox Administration Building. There, SFP leaders announced that they would be performing a die-in, a type of protest in which a group of people lie down in a public place as if they are dead. Leaders also passed around a leaflet explaining the plan for the rest of the afternoon, which included the demand for Oberlin to formally condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to divest from corporations that support the Israel Defense Forces — referred to as the Israel Occupation Forces in the leaflet — including aerospace and defense company Elbit Systems; and information technology company Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
At 2:10 p.m., students trickled into the Cox Administration Building and gathered throughout the second floor, the stairs, and the first floor. For about two hours, approximately 80–100 students led chants, sang songs, and laid down to symbolize deceased, injured, and grieving Palestinians. SFP airdropped a document to students in attendance with an email template for students to reach out to Oberlin administrators, faculty, and other campus organizations demanding that Oberlin “acknowledge and condemn Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestine.” At around 4 p.m., Campus Safety officers refused to let in more people, although some students were allowed to leave. Administrators left the building at 4:30 p.m., leading to a brief confrontation between officers and students.
Shortly before 5:30 p.m, students left Cox and went to President Carmen Twillie Ambar’s house, where an event for prospective students was being hosted. Around 30–40 students chanted outside of the house. At approximately 5:35 p.m, Vice President and Dean of Students Karen Goff exited and started a discussion. Students speaking on behalf of SFP asked Goff to clarify the College’s stance on the conflict in the Middle East, in light of the absence of the words “Palestine” or “genocide” in statements released by the Office of the President. Student leaders and Goff also discussed the context of the Oct. 11 SFP-led vigil to commemorate lost Palestinian lives, where candles and slogans left by students were interfered with in the aftermath of the gathering. After 40 minutes of dialogue, SFP leaders agreed to a later meeting with Goff and President Ambar.
Production Manager Isaac Imas contributed reporting to this story.
