Original message date: 5/7/24

Dear colleagues and students,

It has been nearly two weeks since an outdoor sit-in was launched at Princeton, joining dozens of campus demonstrations that have swept the United States.  

Since that time, I have spoken with or heard from many students, staff, and faculty members, expressing a wide range of views and concerns about how the protest has played out here.

I have heard, for example, from students and faculty members who are concerned about the 11 students and two others arrested at last Monday’s brief takeover of Clio Hall, and about the two students arrested earlier in McCosh Courtyard. They describe poignantly the caring, talented people they know these individuals to be.

I have also seen Graduate School staff break into tears when trying to describe the fright they felt when their building was occupied and surrounded, and when they locked themselves in offices because they believed they could neither safely remain nor safely exit the building.

As the protest activity and rhetoric has intensified, I have heard from members of our community who say that they feel less welcome or secure on campus because they are encountering antisemitic language and behavior that should have no place at Princeton.

Some people believe we are tolerating too much protest on the campus and some that we are not tolerating enough.

Finding a path forward will require that we respect all of these perspectives.  That will not be easy.  Never have I seen our campus more riven with passionate disagreements, disagreements that encompass the war in Gaza as well as issues about Princeton itself.

I also know, however, that the people of this community have a great love for it and for one another.  I hope that all of us will find the courage to listen carefully even to those with whom we disagree most.

My colleagues and I are now in direct conversation with the protestors.  I have told them that we can consider their concerns through appropriate processes that respect the interests of multiple parties and viewpoints, but we cannot allow any group to circumvent those processes or exert special leverage.

I hope that we can reach a resolution that respects that principle and allows us all to move forward.  In the meantime, I ask for your compassion toward those around you, and your help to build bridges across campus differences and to heal the ruptures we now confront.

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Eisgruber
President, Princeton University