Chapman SJP holds weekly walkouts on campus in light of recent cross-country college protests
Chapman’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) recently held three walkouts on April 18, April 24 and May 1 in the Attallah Piazza in order to raise awareness of recent events. These weekly walkouts will be held until the end of the semester. Photos by JIYA KATHURIA, Politics Staff Writer
Some students at Chapman have been getting more politically active on campus in light of recent walkouts that have been organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Three walkouts have occurred so far on campus on April 18, April 24 and May 1. Students who participated had the opportunity to protest, chant, make posters and call for Chapman to divest from “all weapon manufacturers and institutions that aid in the occupation of Palestine,” according to an April 15 statement posted by SJP.
According to Myth Moos, a junior philosophy and psychology double major who is on the executive board of SJP, the walkouts will be happening weekly until the end of the semester.
“(These walkouts) will be a good test to see if Chapman students are willing to put in the work week after week versus just showing up once, and I have confidence that they’ll do so,” Moos said. “So, I think the upcoming walkouts will be better than the ones we had last week.”
Participants in the April 18 walkout marched inside Argyros Forum, by the Keck Center for Science and Engineering and near the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and the Digital Media Arts Center. Some of Chapman’s peace studies classes also participated in the walkouts, which included chants calling for divestment and a ceasefire for Palestine.
“I think it’s just important that students continue to show up and show out and voice their opinions,” Moos told The Panther. “We need to make sure that the school hears our voices the same way we need to make sure the country hears our voices.”
The walkout on April 24 included bracelet and poster making stations. SJP also chalked on various places across campus such as the Attallah Piazza, Memorial Lawn, the steps at the Leatherby Library and more.
Eli Schechter, president of the Students Supporting Israel (SSI) club on campus, expressed his anger after seeing some of the chalkings and demonstrations on campus during the walkout.
“(SJP) uses their cause as a vehicle to spread anti-Semitism,” said Schechter. “They chalked, chanted and did anti-Semitic things.”
Schechter specifically referred to a chalking done on campus that read “globalize the intifada.” This phrase refers to “indiscriminate violence against Israel, and potentially against Jews and Jewish institutions worldwide,” according to the Anti-Defamation League website.
While Chapman’s Department of Public Safety has been surveying the walkouts sporadically, they have not responded to The Panther’s repeated requests for comment as of publication.
College campuses throughout the country continue to protest the war in Gaza, which have led to arrests at schools like the University of Southern California (USC). USC even canceled its main graduation commencement ceremony out of disruption concerns from the protests.
Moos shared their thoughts on how Chapman may handle campus protests moving forward.
“Currently, I don’t see these faculty doing that right now or the administrative board or the trustees calling the cops on us or anything like that,” Moos said. “So, I think we’re fine. But, it is important to remember that there have been a lot of arrests. (Students) have been arrested at Yale recently, and there’s been over 100 arrests at Columbia and 20 students arrested at Pomona.”
Moos continued: “So, I know there’s been a lot of events, but it really depends on what the Chapman administration feels with the protests and marches and walkouts and everything. But, it’s not a big concern, and there’s definitely been less police presence on campus than there was at events that happened two years ago. So, it’s actually gotten slightly better, and we’re hoping that the administration will keep it that way.”
On May 1, another protest was also organized by SJP. In this protest, students and Orange community members marched in front of Dodge College, near the tennis courts and in front of the Sandi Simon Center for Dance, according to drone footage emailed to The Panther from senior creative producing major Xavier Rose. The protest began at 2:30 p.m. and lasted for about an hour, according to Rose.
Aside from walkouts, SJP also created a petition to call “for a complete and total divestment from all weapon manufacturers and institutions that aid in the occupation of Palestine. The petition included companies such as Aruba Networks, Lockheed Martin and the Boeing Company. Currently, Aruba Networks serves as the university’s wireless network provider, according to the statement and Chapman president Daniele Struppa.
“We’re trying to show that the students and the alumni and their parents and friends and faculty support divestment for Chapman,” Moos said. “In the end, we want to bring this petition to the Board of Trustees at Chapman.
As of May 6, the petition has 1,312 signatures.
On April 30, SJP met with Struppa and Jim Burra, the chairman of the Investments Committee and the incoming chairman of the Chapman Board of Trustees, to discuss the petition. According to the organization’s Instagram post, SJP asked for “divestment, financial transparency, equal treatment for Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) students and increased education surrounding Palestine.” However, Struppa and Burra did not agree to most of these requests, especially in regards to divestment and financial transparency.
“We are disappointed and angered by President Struppa and Jim Burra’s resistance to, at the bare minimum, being financially transparent without providing any sufficient explanation as to why they cannot share this information,” SJP wrote.
According to SJP, Struppa and Burra did agree that “there should be more education about Palestine,” and they directed SJP to the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and its vice president, Reginald Chhen Stewart, to create a Director of MENA Life position within the Office of DEI. Stewart confirmed in an email to The Panther that SJP reached out to him to discuss the creation of this position.
“It’s all preliminary at the moment, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction,” Stewart wrote.
Struppa confirmed the meeting took place in an email to The Panther, adding that he “felt it was a very open and frank discussion.”
After speaking with various SJP clubs throughout Southern California and the U.S., Moos and others believe that “there’s always more that could be done.”
“I would say Chapman has a relatively apathetic campus when it comes to anything political, which, again, is why I was so impressed when people came out to the walkout,” Moos told The Panther.
In recent weeks, Moos has noticed that students on campus have been getting more politically involved, which they think is great. However, they also understand the fear that comes along with participating in events like this.
“Getting involved can be scary when you have to put your faces out there, which is why we try to blur our faces and keep things anonymous for those who want to be,” Moos said. “So, a lot of people who would want to get involved are scared right now, and we’re trying to accommodate for that and give them ways to do things behind the scenes (at walkouts).”
Renee Elefante and Laila Freeman contributed to this report.
Chapman students and Orange community members participate in a May 1 march in front of Dodge College and the Sandi Simon Center for Dance. Drone footage courtesy of Xavier Rose
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