At the end of April, students set up an encampment in Wilson Quad and demanded a permanent ceasefire statement from the University, as well as the “ending of all academic ties with Israel.” On May 1, students began one of two sit-ins at Wallis Hall, demanding the University to initiate academic divestment from Israel. Protests continued outside of the building for the entirety of the sit-ins.
On Sept. 16, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aids in Wallis Hall began requiring that anyone entering the building must have an appointment scheduled in advance. Previously open to all students, the office now requires students to buzz in the front doors of Wallis Hall with their student ID badge visible.
Vice Provost and University Dean of Enrollment Management Dr. Robert J. Alexander explained, “Last year, student protesters occupied Wallis Hall on multiple occasions and created an environment that made some staff members across all the departments in Wallis Hall feel unsafe in their workspace. […] Just as students have the right to live and study in a non-threatening environment, staff also have the right to perform their work and feel safe.”
According to Alexander, requests made in the morning will often be accommodated the same afternoon. Any request made in the afternoon or evening will now typically be scheduled for the next morning.
For urgent requests, students and parents are encouraged to email their counselor directly or call the Financial Aid Office instead of visiting the building.
New changes to Admission Tours were also enacted this semester as a result of the sit-ins.
Before the sit-ins, admission tours typically began at Wallis Hall, and the Meridians — tour guides contracted by the Office of Admissions — previously had swipe access like other employees in the building. As of this semester, Meridians start admission tours at the Welcome and Information session in Wilson Commons and do not have swipe access to Wallis Hall. According to Alexander, this will allow admissions to work more closely with Wilson Commons Student Activities and the Campus Information Center.
“Once the decision was made to control access to Wallis, we also decided to relocate [tours] to Wilson Commons, the heart of campus, and hope to give prospective students a positive impression of campus life,” Alexander said.
These changes followed the announcement of stricter policies regarding the Demonstrations, Vigils, and Peaceful Protests policy and the Prohibition of Camping on University Property.
