‘This form of expression needs to end’: MIT president calls for encampments on campus to come down

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The president of another local school is calling for the end of the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus.

MIT’s president Sally Kornbluth says while she understands the right to free speech, the tents have got to go.

The protestors here are demanding that MIT cut research ties with Israel. The president says she is open to having conversations with them, but the man-hours being diverted to keep people safe is not sustainable.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth said about 30 students set up around 15 tents on Kresge lawn and put up signs last week. She says from the start, the encampment has been in violation of campus rules, adding there have been rallies with loud chanting and bull horns, which violates noise ordinances.

Kornbluth wants to make sure that students and staff feel safe to do the work they came for at MIT. She says while it’s acceptable to raise questions about funding sources for research, it should never rise to the level of intimidation or harassment. She claims the encampment is a magnet for outside protestors and keeping the area safe is diverting hundreds of staff hours around the clock away from other essential duties.

“We have a responsibility to the entire MIT community and it is not possible to safely sustain this level of effort,” Kornbluth said. “We are open to further discussion about the means of ending the encampment but this particular form of expression needs to end soon.”

This is all happening as schools are getting ready for graduation. Just five miles away over at Tufts University, the administration is also asking the encampment on its campus to be cleared ahead of graduation. The university said some commencement preparations have already been delayed.

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