Student Life Tells Pro-Palestine Table to Disperse
Daisy Tolbert
Updated 6:47 p.m. EDT, May 19, 2025
Photos by Nhat Dihn Nguyen
Thursday, May 15, marked the final day of classes for the Spring 2025 semester. Typically, the last day of school ushers in a lull in activity, with not much beyond final exams threatening the peace. This relaxed atmosphere was unexpectedly disrupted by a tense confrontation between Student Life and a pro-Palestine student group regarding an unregistered tabling event. The incident occurred in the NAC Rotunda at approximately 11:50 a.m, drawing the attention of public safety, and continued until the students’ departure at 1 p.m.
The students were affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine, an organization within City College whose mission statement states “Our goal is to educate the CCNY community on Palestine and its people who are facing ongoing oppression.” The group has staged numerous demonstrations on campus, including the CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment in April 2024. On Thursday, SJP sought to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, “the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war,” according to the United Nations, by tabling in the NAC Rotunda. Setting up their table around 11:30 a.m., SJP distributed informative pamphlets as well as donuts and coffee “to help people with their finals,” said one participating student.
Per the account of an SJP representative, Student Affairs’ Director of Community Standards George Rhinehart, approached the table around 11:50 a.m. Students were told to disperse within twenty minutes as SJP had failed to properly register their event and was thus operating without permission. In an interview with The Campus, the representative recalled, “[George] tells us that we are essentially doing programming and didn’t go through the proper channels… We asked what the difference is between programming and lounging in the Rotunda and he failed to clarify.” According to the representative, Student Life declined to answer any further questions from the students until they stopped tabling.
Public Safety Officers Hover as SJP Students Exit the NAC // Nhat Dihn Nguyen
Public safety increased their presence around the Rotunda, maintaining a distance and observing rather than confronting SJP directly. Members of CCNY’s New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) chapter gathered around the table to prevent its removal. Expressing dismay, one SJP student, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, told The Campus, “We have every right to be here, as much as anyone else. We aren’t doing anything new, or anything that violates the rules.”
The Club Relations & Reservations website states, “A request must be submitted 10 BUSINESS DAYS in advance,” for student groups seeking to table. However, according to the SJP representative, the organization has made several attempts to secure tabling permission in the past. “We have tried to officially register for a table multiple times throughout the semester, but [Student Life] failed to approve our request,” they told The Campus. “We’ve gone through all of the official procedures and they have denied our tabling without giving us any reason as to why it was cancelled.” The office of Student Life could not be reached for comment.
Public Safety Officers Usher SJP Students Out of the NAC // Nhat Dihn Nguyen
SJP remained in the Rotunda until 1:04 p.m., when they announced their exit with a brief speech stating that they would not bend to attempts to silence them. “May 15th marks the Nakba’s 77th anniversary… the start of Palestinian ethnic cleansing began today. We cannot continue business as usual,” the SJP representative later told The Campus. “We told people that we’re leaving, not because of their ridiculous attempts to repress us, but because we had a contingent happening for the NYC-wide Nakba protest.” As the group relocated to stand outside the administration building, chants of “Free Palestine” could be heard.
An SJP Student Announces the Group’s Exit with a Speech // Nhat Dihn Nguyen
