This story was updated Wednesday, April 24 with additional information on campus closures and the protest.
The students have been occupying Siemens Hall, barricading the entrances with furniture. According to the university, at least three students were arrested on Monday night. The university announced on Wednesday that the campus will remain closed at least through the weekend.
According to the group Humboldt for Palestine, the collective of students are demanding transparency regarding the university’s investments, a complete divestment of Israeli-linked companies, cutting ties with all Israeli universities, charges dropped against the student protesters and an immediate ceasefire and end to occupation in Palestine.
The university and protesters did not respond to requests for an interview. On Tuesday the university said a number of students had also occupied a second building in the area, though they did not identify its location.
"The University supports free speech through open dialogue that is respectful and constructive. That does not include behavior that involves destroying and damaging property, and disrupting students, faculty, and staff from learning, teaching, and working. Everyone deserves to be in an environment where everyone can feel safe, included, and respected," a spokesperson for Cal Poly Humboldt said in a statement.
Peyton Leone, the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper El Leñador, said despite the closure of campus, many people are there to support the protesters.
“They’re receiving food through windows and community donated food. People are outside preparing food for them," he said. "So, it seems like they’re prepared to stay there as long as they can until their demands are met”
The California Faculty Association held a teach-in covering topics related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on campus Wednesday afternoon, which Leone said was well attended by community members.
The Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation's financial website includes investment performance reports which details information about the funds it's invested in, but information about ties to Israel is not easily accessible. The foundation's largest holding from it's 2023 report, the Sustainable Growth Fund by Brown Advisory, lists a $136 million investment in U.S. based Airbnb as of the end of March.
That company was part of a 2020 list by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of businesses with ties to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. According to Airbnb's website, the company still maintains listings in Israeli-occupied West Bank settlements.
Students at other universities including Columbia, NYU and Yale have held similar protests in the last week, demanding similar actions.
