Scenes from day two at the pro-Palestinian liberation encampment on the University of Oregon Campus (Lulu Devoulin/ Emerald)

The Daily Emerald is providing live coverage of the University of Oregon’s pro-Palestine encampment, which began on April 29 at 7 a.m. All of our coverage on the encampment can be found here.
Following the first three days of the pro-Palestine encampment on the Memorial Quad, University of Oregon students and faculty have gotten a glimpse of what the UO campus may look like in the upcoming days.
The Daily Emerald asked various students and faculty for their opinions on the encampment.
[Editor’s note: All interviews for this article took place on Tuesday, April 30 during the second day of the encampment.]

How has the pro-Palestine encampment affected learning?

The encampment is located on the Memorial Quad and directly beside both Condon Hall, where the Department of Anthropology is located, and Chapman Hall, the headquarters for the Clark Honors College.
Lamia Karim, professor and head of the department of anthropology, said she had not heard from faculty whether the encampment has currently affected the teaching and learning experience of students as of April 30.
“The encampment just went up yesterday afternoon, so it’s too early to say whether or not it has affected any teaching,” Karim said. “I haven’t heard anything [about] that from any faculty.”
Karim emphasized the importance of respecting free speech on campus.

“What is very important to remember is that free speech is foundational to democracy. Everyone has the right to speak, right?,” Karim said. “Our Constitution guarantees that we are a place of high learning —  and we should absolutely respect that.”
Similarly, Clark Honors College faculty member and professor Ellen Fitzpatrick said that the encampment has not affected her teaching. Fitzpatrick highlighted the importance of having students participating in the encampment.
“In fact, I think it’s really important that it’s there,” Fitzpatrick said. “To be oblivious to it, to not have it affect our lives is a tragedy. So I think that it’s really important that the students that are out there, put it in our face.”
Fitzpatrick said it would take time for the university to meet SJP’s demands, but the timeframe of their demands being met could be helped through faculty and students “pressuring” the university to meet those demands.
“I do know that from the history of these kinds of movements, it takes faculty, it takes administrators, it takes political pressure, and I think students and faculty have a really big role in pressuring the system too, but it takes time,” she said.
UO student Natalie Craig said that the encampment has not affected her learning and, if anything, has contributed to it.
“It has not affected my class time,” Craig said. “If anything, it’s made me more engaged in my classes because I see people actively speaking out about what they’re learning about whether it’s social justice or Black rights, [or] Indigenous rights.”
UO student Ezra Casady said that that encampment “has not affected” their “studies in any way,” and continues to go to class, while showing support to the encampment by spending  time there.
“I have gone to the few classes I’ve had so far as my attendance is still required, but I’ve also made sure to spend time at the encampment. I’ve listened to some speeches and I’ve gone with some friends to help rally and just listen and talk with people,” Casady said.
In regards to support, Casady said that they’ve donated food to the encampment.
Cassady also spoke on finding the “in between” as a student and pro-Palestine advocate since they help fund the university via tuition but also want to make the university listen to SJP’s demands.
“It feels like we’re letting them win if we’re just giving a lot of money while trying to also support this idea. So I’m trying to find an in-between of making sure the university is listening to us while also not just giving them what they want.” Casady said.

Do you anticipate the encampment to stay peaceful?

Craig said that she hopes the encampment will “grow bigger,” and anticipates it will “stay peaceful.”
Craig also said that she hopes the demonstration continues without any police intervention and “that there’s no escalation.”
Similarly, Fitzpatrick said she anticipated the encampment to stay peaceful.
“I imagine so,” she said.

What do you hope the university does in response?

Karim said that she hopes the university provides a space for communication between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel students, since the situation with the encampment is “an unfolding process.”
“It depends on how it unfolds, but I hope that there will be a space for dialogue for both sides to talk,” Karim said. “I mean, change comes through dialogue.”
Craig said that to ensure the safety of students, the university should divest from the companies that SJP is demanding, and not invest in either side.
“The best thing they can do is divest, and not invest in either Palestine or Israel because right now it puts them in this position where they’re choosing a side, and I don’t think it’s fair to either students,” Craig said.
Fitzpatrick said she believes that objecting to the “genocide” is not “anti-Jewish” and, therefore, individuals can support Jewish people and be against the actions taken by the Israeli government.
“I don’t think objecting to the genocide is anti-Jewish, so you can be very much in support of the Jewish minority in the world and Jewish people in Israel and still be against the actions of their government,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick also said she hopes that students are respectful and peaceful to one another and that “it doesn’t evolve into the kind of tension that would lead to violence.”
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article stated that the encampment is located at the Knight Library lawn. This is not the case. The encampment is located at the Memorial Quad, where the Knight Library is nearby.