UW-Madison students from disruptive encampment face disciplinary hearings
The students admitted in an op-ed to participating in a protest that violated school regulations.
If found guilty, the students will face a rebuke from the university, a consequence that some see as a relatively mild punishment.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) is disciplining students for their role in a disruptive anti-Israel encampment that took place at the school.
Vignesh Ramachandran and Dahlia Saba faced hearings in early October for allegedly violating school regulations during their participation in the UW-Madison’s anti-Israel protests, which took place in April and May, wrote Wisconsin Public Radio.
Ramachandran and Saba will face at least five more hearings in October.
During Ramachandran’s hearing, school official Ryan Podolak said: “You can see what I’ve pulled, direct quotes from the article where the student is communicating they … engaged in behavior that is a policy violation.”
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The article in question is an op-ed published by the two students in The Cap Times on May 10, in which they wrote: “We have been camping on Library Mall for 12 days in solidarity with the people of Gaza. . . . We will not rest until our university is no longer complicit in this violence.”
Podolock cited the op-ed to prove the students’ participation in the encampment protest, which violated school rules.
School regulations claim that “[n]o person may picnic or camp on university lands, except in those areas specifically designated as picnic or camping grounds, or as authorized by the chief administrative officer. No person may violate any rules and regulations for picnicking or camping established and posted by the chief administrative officer.”
Camping is defined as “the pitching of tents or the overnight use of sleeping bags, blankets, makeshift shelters, motor homes, campers or camp trailers.”
Ramachandran is also accused of lying to university officials.
If found guilty, both students would face a rebuke from the university, something that Podolak claimed was the “least punitive” result considering the circumstances, reported Wisconsin Public Radio.
A university spokesperson directed Campus Reform to a news update from the school released on Thursday, which announced that “[t]he Committee on Student Organizations (CSO) found Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) of UW–Madison in violation of five organizational rules of conduct, stemming from actions related to the illegal encampment on Library Mall between April 29 and May 11, 2024.”
The violations were “harmful behavior, violation of law, damage to or theft of property, violation of university policy, and disruptive conduct.” After a hearing, “the CSO found SJP responsible for five conduct violations and imposed a 10-month disciplinary probation.”
Campus Reform reached out to Ryan Podolak for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
