Regarding the Protest on Voorhees Mall

May 2, 2024

Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,
 
We wanted to address the recent events surrounding the Voorhees Mall protest and share our actions to ensure the safety and academic success of our students.
This morning, we made the unprecedented decision to postpone morning exams on the College Avenue Campus.
 
We understand the importance of exams and the impact that any disruptions can have on our students’ academic progress. We are committed to doing everything in our power to provide a safe and secure environment for our students to learn and succeed.
 
Several days ago, some people, including Rutgers students and individuals not from our community, set up tents on Voorhees Mall. The University has consistently taken steps to make clear to protesting organizations, including this group, our policies reflecting our commitment to free speech and the University's thresholds for disruptive activity.
 
Our strategy has been focused on de-escalation and yesterday, we met with a group of students representing the protest to discuss the need to ensure that their fellow students’ exam period was not disrupted. We emphasized that student safety and student success are our most important priorities as an institution.
 
However, we were disappointed to learn that overnight, Students for Justice in Palestine called for a significant rally on the Voorhees Mall, coinciding with the beginning of the exam period, specifically intended to disrupt finals for our students. Buildings surrounding Voorhees Mall are the site of hundreds of exams during the finals period, and students are rightly concerned about their ability to take exams in this environment.
 
The morning rally disrupted 28 scheduled exams, impacting more than 1,000 students. While the protesters eventually responded to our request to cease their disruption, the disruption adversely impacted our students and University operations and forced our postponement announcement.
 
This morning, we met again with the students representing the protest, again expressing our concerns for safety and student success, and informed them that their tents need to be removed from Voorhees Mall by 4 pm today.  
 
In sharing this decision, we also committed to the student protesters that we have convened the existing Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Life to review and advise us on their academic and student life requests at Rutgers–New Brunswick.  
 
The safety of our students and their academic success are our highest priorities. Exams previously scheduled for this morning are being rescheduled or relocated, and the protest area on Voorhees Mall and any other places where University business is conducted will be cleared of all protesters for the remainder of the semester.
 
If the protesters do not comply and disperse, clearing the area of their tents and belongings, they will be considered to have trespassed, and we will be left with no other option than, with the assistance of law enforcement, to remove the protesters and their belongings.
 
We value free speech and the right to protest, but it should not come at the cost of our students’ education and safety. We strive to balance these rights and maintain a safe and secure environment for our students to learn and succeed.
 
We believe that the action we have taken today is appropriate and will allow our students to successfully complete the semester.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Holloway
President

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Rutgers University–New Brunswick