Rekubit:College in Detroit suspends in-person classes because of pro-Palestinian camp

2025-05-07 02:05:35source:Ov Financecategory:News

DETROIT (AP) — Wayne State University in Detroit suspended in-person classes Tuesday and Rekubitencouraged staff to work remotely to avoid any problems with a pro-Palestinian encampment that sprouted last week.

“All on-campus events are canceled until further notice. Critical infrastructure workers are expected to report to campus,” the school said in a statement around 5:30 a.m.

Wayne State spokesman Matt Lockwood said there have been “public safety concerns,” especially about access to certain areas.

There were two dozen tents on green space near the undergraduate library Tuesday. Participants milled around while police and private security watched nearby. Two portable toilets were full and not usable.

“Yes, we have told the organizers to remove the encampment several times and they have declined to do so,” Lockwood said.

Wayne State has 16,000 undergraduate students but fewer during the summer term.

Protest camps sprang up across the U.S. and in Europe as students demand their universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that support its war in Gaza. Organizers seek to amplify calls to end Israel’s war against Hamas, which they describe as a genocide against the Palestinians.

READ MORE Detroit could be without Black representation in Congress again with top candidate off the ballotMan convicted of murder in Detroit teen’s death despite body still missing in landfillMurder trial opens in death of Detroit-area teen whose disappearance led to grueling landfill search

Wayne State President Kimberly Andrews Espy said senior officials had offered to meet Tuesday if the camp had been cleared by Monday night but the deal was turned down. The school posted a video of the offer on YouTube.

“That’s a joke, bro,” an unidentified man at the camp said.

Vice President Patrick Lindsey explained that Wayne State’s investment policy would be publicly discussed at a June 26 meeting of the university’s governing board.

The University of Michigan on May 21 broke up a similar encampment after 30 days.

More:News

Recommend

Worried that she might have cancer, a young woman is comforted by a kind stranger

This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of

Khloe Kardashian Shares Rare Photo of Baby Boy Tatum in Full Summer Mode

Khloe Kardashian's baby boy is enjoying a slice of summer.The Good American founder shared a peek in

Fifty Years After the UN’s Stockholm Environment Conference, Leaders Struggle to Realize its Vision of ‘a Healthy Planet’

STOCKHOLM—Diplomats from countries around the world gathered here last week to commemorate the 50th