With protests continuing on Tulane University campus Tuesday night the school announced that several buildings will remain closed Wednesday.
"As the unlawful demonstration continues on the edge of the lawn in front of Gibson Hall, Gibson, Tilton-Memorial and Dinwiddie Halls will remain closed tomorrow, Wednesday, May 1," Tulane officials said.
Classes scheduled for Wednesday in Gibson, Tilton-Memorial, and Dinwiddie Halls will be conducted remotely.
Tulane University Police and protesters dug in Tuesday afternoon with large electronic signs warning protesters they are trespassing and needed to leave and both sides putting up barricades.
Some students have been protesting for over 24 hours and don't plan to go home anytime soon.
"We are tired but still energized and not ready to give up," Tulane student Vonne Crandell said.
Crandell is one of at least five students who is facing suspension. She says she wants to see Loyola and Tulane University administrations take action.
NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick was at the campus Tuesday afternoon as an electronic billboard flashed a warning of pending prosecutions for protesters.
The move comes as protesters pledged not to leave until their demands are met while Tulane began suspending students as a second day of remote classes in several buildings near the protest were required. At least three buildings in the area were closed again Tuesday after being shuttered and evacuated Monday night when protesters clashed with police on the Uptown campus.
Tuesday afternoon the university brought in a massive billboard to set up near the estimated 50 or so protesters that set up tents and an encampment and Monday night set out a list of demands.
"Private Property - No Trespassing" said the sign's headline. Below it was a further warning. "Everyone must leave this area, immediately. Entry and continued presence are strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted.
Tulane issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that although it has had to hold classes remotely in some cases and has had to cancel some campus special events, "normal campus operations are ongoing."
Tulane also said that its police officers moved in Monday evening with the intent of preventing an encampment from being set up on the school's front lawn, but, "At the direction of NOPD and Louisiana State Police, we are now focused on containing and ending the protest."
Some students, like Tulane senior Yasmeen Ohebsion, shared their feelings regarding the negative impact of the demonstrations on student life.
"I think that any student group on campus can demand whatever they want from the university, can engage in any sort of free speech, but free speech does not include freedom to harass, intimidate, interrupt and assault students, and that's exactly what's happening here," Ohebsion told WWL Louisiana.
"We were supposed to have a senior crawfish boil and that was canceled as well," she continued. "So, I would say it's really sad to see the university clearly cares more about these protestors than they do about its students being able to have these experiences that we pay $70,000 a year to have."
At 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Loyola University sent a letter to faculty, staff and students addressing the neighboring protest.
"Dear Tulane Community
As the unlawful demonstration continues on the edge of the lawn in front of Gibson Hall, Gibson, Tilton-Memorial and Dinwiddie Halls will remain closed tomorrow, Wednesday, May 1.
Classes scheduled tomorrow in Gibson, Tilton-Memorial and Dinwiddie Halls should be conducted remotely. Staff in these buildings should work remotely. Classes and operations on the rest of the uptown campus and all other Tulane campuses will continue as normal. Please consult with your supervisor, as appropriate. All supervisors and faculty are asked to be as flexible as possible with their staff or students.
The lawn in front of Gibson Hall, on the St. Charles Avenue side, remains closed to all students, faculty and staff. Cowen Circle will be closed to all traffic and parking. For safety reasons, community members are advised to avoid the area adjacent to the Gibson Hall lawn, including along the neutral ground of St. Charles Avenue.
Six arrests have been made and seven suspensions, with another one pending, have been issued to students who have participated in this unlawful demonstration. We are also actively looking into reports of university employees participating in the demonstration. We value free speech and have supported numerous lawful demonstrations throughout this year. But we remain opposed to trespassing, hate speech, antisemitism and bias against religious or ethnic groups. Harassment, intimidation, violence, and other criminal acts on any of our campuses will not be tolerated.
The overwhelming majority of these protestors are unaffiliated with Tulane. Security remains at its highest level throughout the university. We will provide updates as they become available.
We know this is a difficult time for our community. Resources are available to any Tulane community member affected by this troubling incident. Students seeking help can call 504-920-9900. Employees can call 1-800-624-5544."
