Tents set up by University of Oregon student-ran groups to begin their encampment in front of Lillis Business Complex. On April 29, 2024, University of Oregon student-ran groups joined the nationwide movement of encampment in support of the pro-Palestine movement across college campuses. (Alyssa Garcia/Emerald)
Following the first four days of the pro-Palestine encampment on the Memorial Quad, which began on April 29, some participants at the camp reflect on how the encampment has changed their lives and the adjustments they’ve had to make since joining.
The Daily Emerald sat down with two participants at the encampment, UO students Jack and Amelia, who only provided first names out of fear of retaliation from the university.
“I’m here because [UO’s investments are] incredibly pressing and important and something that [UO students] can influence,” Jack said. “It’s not some conflict on the other side of the world, because our university has our endowment invested in the weapons companies that are killing people, and that’s not okay.”
Jack said his day begins by waking up at the encampment and doing homework. He said that he attends at least one of his classes throughout the day, but spends the rest of his time at the encampment.
He said that choosing whether to attend class or not depends on where he would learn the most.
“The way I think about it is if I skip a class, it’s because I know that I will learn more by being at the encampment,” Jack said. “If there is a class that I feel like I really need to go to, to get something done or to learn about something important, I’ll go to the class.”
Jack said his family is unaware of him skipping classes, but said he still receives support from his family on being at the encampment.
“I’m very lucky in that my family is supportive of me being at the encampment,” Jack said. “They don’t know that I’m skipping classes, but they do know that I am spending a lot of time here.”
In the evening, Jack said he goes back to his dorm to shower, then arrives back at the encampment to socialize and, finally, sleep. He said his favorite part about the encampment is “building a community” by assisting and engaging with other participants.
Similarly, Amelia said that their day at the encampment starts off by completing academic assignments. Amelia said they rely on financial aid and scholarships to attend UO and is worried about their grades being hurt because they joined the encampment.
“I’ve been trying to prioritize times that I think that it’s important to be here, so if I have tent mates that are going to be off of camp, I’ll stay on camp while they can go attend to the things that they need to do,” they said.
Once the encampment starts to “liven up” and “quiet hours” are lifted, Amelia has breakfast and tries to attend “as many classes” as possible and attends the activities scheduled for the day, including discussions.
“In between classes and homework, [I’m] just kind of hanging out around camp and making myself available to help with anything that anyone needs help with, and attending lots of talks.”
Jack said that “there’s no way of knowing” how situations will play out in the encampment in terms of safety and any police presence that might occur.
“[My parents] also know that I’m going to make the decisions I’m gonna make,” Jack said. “They live far from here, [so] they trust me to make the decisions that I think are the right decisions — that’s also how I’m going about my safety.”
Similarly, Amelia said their parents trust that they can make the correct choices for themself.
“They both warned me to stay safe, but they never really elaborated on that. I think it’s just a trust in me that I can make choices for myself,” Amelia said. “I will say that up to this point, there hasn’t been any moment when I felt like an immediate risk to my safety.”
Amelia said that the encampment provides areas for students to “collaborate” and complete their assignments. They said that their favorite part of the encampment is the ability to have “open dialogue” with UO faculty and staff.
“I’ve got into open dialogues with my professors who aren’t coming out and talk to them about why I’m out here, and the value that I think it would bring if they came out here and joined us,” Amelia said. “I think just getting to engage with professors in a really different way than usual has been really interesting, and it’s interesting for us as students to have a ‘call to action’ for them[professors] rather than vice versa.”
For Jack, he said that the “teach-ins” and “speeches” have been the “most impactful” part of being at the encampment.
Both Amelia and Jack agreed that they are prioritizing personal hygiene and health by continuing to shower and “freshen up” when needed, despite the “inconvenience” camping on the Memorial Quad might bring.
“Yes, we’re camping, but we are also on campus, [so] there are amenities,” Jack said. ”It is definitely an inconvenience when you have to walk to the other side of campus to use the bathroom certain times a day, but I’ve been brushing my teeth regularly. I’ve been taking showers every night. I’m still keeping up with my hygiene.”
Both Jack and Amelia said that as long as the encampment is ongoing, they would continue to participate at camp.
“I plan on being here as long as it’s up,” Jack said. “There’s no other place I would rather be because we are worth standing up for what’s right and trying to build a better university.”
Protesters move tents to the Fenton Hall lawn. On May 16, 2024, pro-Palestine demonstrators moved the encampment to the front of Johnson Hall after performing a "mock tribunal" and self-chaining to the building's columns. A media liaison who goes by Kermit said that the encampment's move was "to come together as a group, and if they're [the individuals who have chained themselves to Johnson Hall's columns] out there, we're going to move with them." (Colleen Bogdan/Emerald)
