Protests and finals: A tough balancing act for students in Penn encampment

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Sunday’s rain kept some counter-protesters away from the pro-Palestinian encampment protest on the University of Pennsylvania ’s campus, where protesters have been camped out since April 25 . They have remained steadfast on College Green, protesting the war in Gaza and calling on Penn to divest from Israel.

However, their activism is clashing with their studies for finals, some student protesters said.

“To be honest, it’s wearing on a lot of us,” said Rishi, a student at Temple University who helped organize the Penn encampment. Like Penn, Temple’s finals are held during the first weeks of May.

“For a lot of us, it’s very difficult balancing the two,” he said. “People do manage to do it. We do hold study hours, we do all study together. But it’s really about how much you want to sacrifice for this, and for a lot of people, they make the choice between this and their grades.

“We’re obviously all here for a higher purpose. It’s always just a game of remembering why you’re here, and that’s really what keeps us going,” he said.

The Penn administration has asked several times for protesters to disband and find a compromise.

Penn also asked Philadelphia police last week to help disband the encampment , but police declined. Sgt. Eric Gripp, in a statement to KYW Newsradio, said the police department “remains committed to facilitating safe demonstrations while ensuring the safety and upholding the First Amendment rights of all who live, work or visit our city.”

Meanwhile, Rishi said the encampment has dealt with its fair share of counter-protesters, most of whom come in the middle of the night.

“What you see during the day is only one-tenth of what we actually go through,” he said. “These protesters are heavily enabled at night when they know there are no eyes on the encampment.”

Rishi said they brought the issue up with the university but received no response.

“These negotiations haven’t been really in good faith. They’ve really just been: ‘If you take down half your tents or if you move somewhere else, we’ll set up a task force to maybe think about one of your demands.’ Which isn’t really a means to negotiate with us,” he added.

Last week, Jewish students, faculty and alumni delivered a 3,000-signature petition to Penn interim President Larry Jameson, urging him to take action. University officials and students have claimed instances of harassment and intimidation from those in the encampment.

About 60 people are still living in the encampment.