Today, it was made known to students that DePaul University is hiding its divestments to Israel and disregarding the concerns and cries from its student population. Despite Cook County (where DePaul is located) having a larger Palestinian population than any other in the nation, DePaul continues to entirely refute any feelings or concerns voiced by Palestinian students and supporters, including the institution’s very own SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine). 

We will absolutely NOT, as students, stand for this behavior. It is disgusting for the school to threaten violence against its own inhabitants, students, faculty, and those that PAY THE MONEY TO ATTEND, thereby paying the money for DePaul’s divestments. DePaul is merely doing this to preserve the sanctity of FEST, an event in which students (you guessed it) PAY to attend.

While DePaul worries about fun social events for students, entire academic years in Gaza have been canceled from a lack of living students.

How selfish must we be, as Blue Demons, to ignore the world around us?

This petition serves to demand that DePaul University allow student encampments to remain on the Quad, and that FEST be either canceled or moved elsewhere on campus.