On Nov. 14 at 1 p.m., the Freedom School for Palestine began programming inside Penn’s Houston Hall.
Since then, dozens of Penn community members have occupied the Reading Room in Houston Hall as part of an ongoing teach-in. Each night, some individuals choose to remain in Houston, even after the building has officially closed.
The teach-in was established as a response to Penn’s alleged lack of support for pro-Palestinian students and faculty. According to a press release, the group has outlined three key demands towards top University representatives: a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of freedom of speech at the University, and the institution of critical thought on Palestine.
See how The Daily Pennsylvanian's photographers captured a week of daily programming and the University’s response during the Freedom School for Palestine's sit-in at Houston Hall.
Hilah Kohen, an Israeli-American Jewish Ph.D. student in the comparative literature and literary theory program, spoke at an interfaith service on Nov. 14 — which served as the opening event for the Freedom School.
Professors spoke at programming throughout the week. On Nov. 14, political science professor Anne Norton gave a talk titled "Islamophobia & Muslim Political Thought."
In addition to academic presentations and lectures, community members in Houston Hall participated in film screenings, poetry readings, and interactive workshops. Several students who have participated in the Freedom School have emphasized the sense of community that the programming has brought about.
A Penn sophomore present at the teach-in, who requested anonymity for fear of personal safety, said that the programming creates an educational space that promotes pro-Palestinian voices that “Penn doesn’t want.”
Many signs, some of which were made during art workshops during the week, currently fill the Reading Room in Houston Hall.
At 12 a.m. on Nov. 15, one of the Houston Hall building managers informed demonstrators that the building was closed for the evening. The majority of those assembled chose not to leave after this announcement.
In the early hours of Nov. 15, representatives from the University, including Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Michael Morrin and Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Tamara Greenfield King, arrived at Houston Hall.
Demonstrators requested that an Open Expression Observer be present and were informed that King was not acting in that capacity.
College senior Katie Francis and Kohen said that the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life has not invoked the protections that are normally afforded to demonstrators under the University’s Open Expression Guidelines — which are intended to protect free speech within the limitations of University functions at Penn — for this sit-in.
Multiple members of the Division of Public Safety, including Penn Police and Allied Universal Security Services, were also stationed inside and outside of Houston Hall. According to Francis, this created a “very tense” environment.
Representatives from the DPS have remained in and around the building throughout the week.
During the first night, Morrin and King initially told students that they must vacate the building or risk being arrested. After conversations between Freedom School police liaisons and University administrators, demonstrators were told they could show their PennCards to remain in the building or leave.
Five students elected to show their PennCards that first night.
Since then, demonstrators have been able to spend the night in Houston Hall as long as they show their PennCard to University representatives. Those who did were told they will be referred to the Center for Community Standards and Accountability, according to King and Penn Police.
Shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 15, those who did not elect to show their PennCards left Houston Hall. This included international students who, according to Kohen, “cannot risk entering the CSA process.”
Individuals from the Freedom School have remained inside Houston Hall every night since Nov. 14, sleeping on couch cushions and sleeping bags. For each night an individual stays, demonstrators told the DP that they will allegedly have an additional referral to CSA.
Kohen — pictured here and speaking on behalf of the group — declined to comment on how long the group plans to stay in Houston Hall out of respect for ongoing private conversations with University administrators.
