Pro-Palestinian protests continue to grow at Bay Area universities even as some students risk suspension.
On Sunday, there were 23 tents in White Square at Stanford University, and more people outside the campus, joining students to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Protests at Stanford continue even after the university delivered letters to protesters, informing them that they could be expelled or even arrested for spending the night in the area.
“Whether they arrest me or not is not as important as the liberation of the Palestinian people,” said student protester Adriana.
Protesters said they want Stanford to take action.
“I would like the university to cut all its ties with Israel, to cut all its ties with companies that help Israel finance the war crimes they commit against the Palestinian people,” Adriana said.
Preliminary results from a recent student election show that a majority of Stanford undergraduates support the university and issued a statement about divestment.
At Sonoma State University, protesters held another rally Sunday and camped outside for a second night as they called for an end to the violence in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Cal Poly Humboldt is now closed for the rest of the semester after protesters occupied two buildings.
At UC Berkeley, student protesters continue to sleep in tents in front of Sproul Hall.
Students at San Francisco State University plan to hold a rally Monday, and professors have formed a local chapter of the College for Justice in Palestine to support them.
“We advise the university not to deploy police under any circumstances. “We are asking the university not to engage in any type of academic retaliation, including, but not limited to, expulsion, suspension or eviction,” said Omar Zahzah, assistant professor at SFSU’s College of Ethnic Studies.
In Los Angeles, the University of Southern California (USC) has already canceled its graduation due to protests on campus, and many students in the Bay Area are wondering what’s next for them.
NBC Bay Area contacted Stanford University on Sunday, who said it had already begun referring the names of student protesters to the Office of Community Standards for student conduct reviews.
Some Stanford students NBC Bay Area spoke to on Sunday said they plan to continue camping at White Plaza.
