At 10:00 a.m. on Nov. 10, assembled students gathered in the Governing Boards Room (Memorial 331), renamed by protesters as the Edward Said Reading Room, to discuss the previous 24 hours and set objectives for the next day. Overnight protesters reported a relatively quiet night, with brief interruptions as janitorial staff and various administrators arrived in the building.
At the Friday morning meeting, protesters reaffirmed their dedication to their cause, emphasizing the importance of cultivating a respectful environment within the building. An incident between protestors and a staff member sometime on Nov. 9 concerned faculty who attended the strike in solidarity with students.
In an email to The Wire, Cushing Eells Professor of Philosophy and Literature, Professor of Indigeneity, Race, and Ethnicity Studies and Gender Studies Nicole Simek outlined several concerns and emphasized the importance of addressing demands at administrators rather than staff.
“Many staff members working in Mem[orial Hall] are not involved in policy decisions (and do not have the same job security and protections that faculty members do), we believe demands should be addressed instead to higher-level administrators who have the power to shape policy. Our goal was to ensure that staff members are being treated with respect, and that student leaders have the information they need to act on concerns as they arise,” Simek said.
At Friday’s 10:00 a.m. round-table meeting with protestors and leadership, student organizers said that the schedule for the occupation’s second day had been shared to the student listserv, but was rejected by the moderator.
In emails shared with The Wire, the listserv moderator rejected the email because it “aim[ed] to disrupt the educational process.”
Memorial Hall (Mem) was mostly empty aside from student protesters. Several offices closed their doors Friday morning, including the Registrar’s Office, which announced its closure via the student listserv at 6:24 AM.
In an email to The Wire, Vice President for Communications Gina Zandy Ohnstad explained that the choice to work in-person was left up to individual offices and administrators.
“Because of increased activity in Mem today, administrators told their staff who have offices in the building to work in whatever setting was best for them – either in-person or via telework. Friday tends to be a popular telework day anyway, so some employees already had planned to work from home today,” Ohnstad said.
Emails shared with The Wire outline demands made by Whitman Students for Justice in Palestine (WSJP). The demands mirror those made by SAC leaders.
An Oct. 30 email sent after the Oct. 26 occupation outlined WSJP’s demands, including that the College divest from “weapon suppliers to Israel, companies that are headquartered in Israel, and companies that purchase from Israeli companies that need to be divested from urgently.”
The email continued to explain why specific demands were emphasized.
“The idea behind this prioritization is that it would have the most immediate effect, both materially and symbolically, and would hopefully face less resistance, since it seems evident that Whitman is not an institution that is actively interested in supporting an apartheid state or ethnic cleansing,” WSJP leadership said.
A follow-up email sent by WSJP leadership to Bolton on Nov. 6 further called for urgency, citing specific clauses within College bylaws.
“We would also like to use the Whitman Bylaws and Charters’ article IV, section 4, that “Special meetings of the Board of Trustees may be held at any time and place on the call of the Chair of the Board, the President of the College, or of at least three Trustees.” At the moment, we think it is necessary for the board to meet and decide on the future of the college’s investments, either upon your request of a “special meeting,” or the chair’s, or of at least three Trustees,” the email said.
Sophomore Goldie Cameron remained in Memorial Hall throughout the night. Instead of sleeping, Cameron remained awake for the majority of the night, letting students into Memorial periodically, and making rounds around the building.
“I essentially was just up. I let people in, I would help facilitate other people doing night shifts to make sure everyone’s okay. I essentially was an RA,” Cameron said. “I just essentially watched what happened over the night. People were sleeping soundly and safely.”
Organizers like Marion Mattson expressed their support for the campus community and faculty, but emphasized that the occupation is far from over.
“We need people to show up and take up space,” Mattson said.
McKenna McShane was not initially a member of the Whitman Student Action Committee (SAC), but has been drawn in since the occupation of Memorial began. McShane emphasized the importance of student voices, and reaffirmed protestors’ commitment to meeting their outlined objectives.
“I think that we have a really large amount of passionate people here right now and that we can keep morale high and we can keep people engaged,” McShane said. “Hopefully this will last until Thanksgiving or whenever they meet our demands. The genocide happening on the Palestinians is not something that’s new, and hopefully this will spark change and a greater awareness within our community.”
McShane has also been involved with the creation of a landing page for SAC, where organizers plan to share updates, daily schedules and organizational goals.
Despite the administrative absence, students continue to occupy Memorial Hall. Cameron commented on the sense of community they felt.
“I think it’s a really wonderful community thing. Staying up all night talking to people and just respecting the space but also having a good time and having conversations, studying, chatting, was super duper valuable,” Cameron said.
They credit Whitman’s Student Action Committee (SAC) and Whitman Students for Justice in Palestine (WSJP) with facilitating unity among the protestors.
“I really enjoyed the experience of staying up with my friend Paige literally all night talking. In Memorial. It’s just it’s a weird place to be. But at the same time, it’s so lively in here. I feel like there’s a lot of campus community though,” Cameron said. “It’s very interesting how much SJP and the Student Action Coalition have brought together more people in a way that I feel like doesn’t happen often. There’s fully a little jazz quartet happening down the hall here. Is that planned? I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
Tents remain pitched on the Boyer side of Memorial Hall as protesters begin their second night occupying the building.