The Feldman Ballroom was transformed into a banquet from the Middle Ages during the 89th Annual Boar’s Head celebration on Dec. 5.
Amidst the annual Reading of the Boar, when McNair Scholars Program Manager George McCormick told the story of how the Boar came to be presented, a group of masked students dressed in all-black trailed into the ballroom, holding signs and chanting “Free Palestine.”
Protesters gathered in front of the Highe Table and urged the University to drop the criminal charges against the four students recently charged with second-degree criminal mischief, saying that the University’s response is disproportionate compared to other bias-related incident reports.
“It’s important we make clear that this isn’t the first time the U of R has turned a blind eye to threatening discrimination that jeopardizes the health and safety of minority students,” one of the protestors said.
Some of the masked students handed out flyers highlighting instances of racial bias they felt the University disproportionately addressed.
This included the University’s response to the recent posters displayed through Eastman depicting a Lego set in ruins labeled Gaza.
The flyer provided a link to an audio recording of Eastman School of Music Dean Kate Sheeran, allegedly referring to the posters where she is heard characterizing them as “open to interpretation,” confirming previous claims made by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on their Instagram.
After the students left the hall, McCormick quickly acknowledged the demonstration before continuing the retelling of the Boar. The rest of the night went forward as planned.
SJP claimed responsibility for the demonstration the following day in a video published on their Instagram.
According to University Spokesperson Sara Miller, the demonstration violated the DVPP policy since students did not register the protest prior to the event.
The demonstration is currently being investigated by University Student Conduct and the Department of Public Safety.
