Sac State Approves Pro-Palestine Encampment Extension to May 8

By OBSERVER Newsroom

On Tuesday, April 30, President of Sacramento State Luke Wood lifted the original deadline for protesters camping at Sacramento State’s Library Quad, allowing participants to remain indefinitely.

Vice President of Student Affairs, Aniesha Mitchell, delivered a letter to the encampment on Monday setting a deadline for Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. for their encampment. As of Tuesday, Wood is granting protesters permission to remain so long as they abide by campus safety policies.

“As far as I’m concerned, the encampment can last as long as it continues to be what it is, which is a positive demonstration of free speech, as long as it’s safe, and as long as we’re making sure we’re handling the discussions in the right way,” Wood said to The State Hornet.

But, on Wednesday, May 1, Sacramento State updated the campus alert, clarifying that the extension of approval for the on-campus encampment has been extended for a week, ending on May 8 at 11:59 p.m.

Lanaya Lewis, a Sac State public information officer, said to The State Hornet that the recent update came at the request of those who were unsure about how long the extension was going to be for the encampment.

“May 8 is going to be the extension and if everything is still within our Time, Place and Manner Restrictions on Speech policy, and everything still remains a safe space, then there’s the possibility it will be extended again,” Lewis said.

Protesters at the encampment were unaware of the new Wednesday deadline, saying the extension’s update was not communicated prior to the updated release.

California State University said its campuses such as Cal Poly Humboldt, Sonoma State University and Sac State are most qualified to make decisions on a local level, according to a statement to The State Hornet on Tuesday. The statement reads:

While the CSU operates as a system, it consists of 23 universities, each with unique sets of circumstances and local jurisdictions. As such, campuses are best qualified to make real-time decisions though a local lens, while understanding they have the support of the Chancellor’s Office.