Henry Abbott

The encampment formed in Smith Union by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) protestors last Thursday, February 6, ended this past Monday, February 10. Campus community members reflect on complex emotions and contrasting perspectives that unfolded over the encampment’s four-day term.

Initial political reactions

Last week’s demonstration brought forth a spectrum of reactions amongst campus community members. These individuals include Ahmad Harb ’25, a member of the Middle Eastern and North African Student Association (MENASA), and Zak Asplin ’27, founder of the Bowdoin College Conservatives.

“I wasn’t shocked. People who follow the news know what’s happening in Palestine. [It] makes such actions worthy of being done. But I was a little surprised at it happening here,” Harb said.

Unlike Harb, Asplin felt uncomfortable with the demonstration and believed it pointed to deeper ethical issues.

“No matter how you feel on this, retributive action and things like that [have] limits,” Asplin said.

Students and professors have a variety of perspectives regarding SJP’s use of Smith Union and whether or not the use of it was physically and emotionally disruptive. Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program Zahir Janmohamed articulated his experience in the encampment in an email to the Orient.

“I went inside the encampment on Friday around 12:45 p.m., and the students were watching the movie ‘Dirty Dancing,’” Janmohamed wrote. “That is hardly what I call a threatening space.”

Considering the protest’s relationship to the College

Asplin also felt the encampment was antithetical to the core tenets of the College’s position.

“This is really not a good look for the College…. We have a commitment to the common good, which is fundamentally important, but [the encampment] is the total opposite of that,” Asplin said. “What it’s doing is disrupting the daily lives of students at this school…. It’s really ruining the reputation.”

In contrast, class presidents Timothy Ignacio ’26 and Andy Mugisha ’28 both sent out class-wide emails on February 7 citing the common good as a reason students should  support the encampment.

“As your class president, I strongly urge each and every one of you to show up when you can, engage in conversation with SJP members if you have any questions and stand with them as they fight for the common good,” Ignacio wrote in his email.

Ignacio emphasized the importance of the SJP encampment and its mission in the larger worldview.

“This encampment is about disruption—and while many people tend not to care about global issues until they directly affect them (that’s called privilege), SJP are showing Bowdoin that they will not be silenced,” Ignacio wrote.

Harb emphasized the importance of the encampment on a college campus like Bowdoin, describing it as a place of learning that includes academics and global engagement.

“It shows that a large number of students are concerned. They’re not intellectually isolated, only focusing on their careers. They focus on their work, [but] they care about the world and other people,” Harb said.

However, according to Associate Professor of Government Jeffrey Selinger, while students may see the encampment as an educational opportunity, the College is hindered by larger powers such as the federal government.

“I certainly worry that [President Safa Zaki] and the administration are very limited in the options that they have available to them as they negotiate with students, because they have good reason to anticipate potential litigation from either the Department of Education or the Department of Justice,” Selinger said. “This limits the ability of the College administration to act with the kind of flexibility and generosity that students might under other conditions expect it to demonstrate.”

Elliott Ewell ’27, vice president of the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) commented on the role of the administration and the Board of Trustees in student relations.

“I also think that student engagement [outside of the BSG] with trustees needs to be higher, like we need to have access to trustees. We’re the only student government body that has access to trustees right now. [But] even their most recent board meeting, [BSG] didn’t get invited,” Ewell said.

Reflections on Identity 

The encampment prompted many on campus to grapple with its impact on their respective identities.

Harb appreciated his peers’ support in a trying global landscape.

“As a member of MENASA, and as part of the Middle Eastern community on campus, I think it was nice to know that there are a lot of students who care about Palestinians, so I think it made me feel more integrated [in the campus community],” Harb said.

Kaya Patel and Emma Kilbride contributed to this report.