Students sat in the Arch as early as 8:00 a.m. until the evening. Photo by Paul Xing ’26.
Doug Slovenkay
Contributing Writer
“Nobody is free until we are all free,” uttered Co Clark ’25, the primary organizer of the Arch Takeover event on Nov. 9, in which a number of students lined the archway of Kauke Hall to spread awareness of the conflict occurring in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. The event simulated a “sit-in” style protest, with protesters sitting inside of the Arch in an attempt to make a statement through their presence.
The walls on either side of the Arch sported posters which read messages such as, “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!” and “THE U.S. IS COMPLICIT IN GENOCIDE.”
Thursday’s protest was inspired by a growing national movement titled “Shut It Down For Palestine,” which calls for concerned individuals around the world to abstain from partaking in day-to-day tasks (or “shut down”) in order to call attention to perceived injustices occurring toward Palestinian citizens. “I know it’s not feasible for everyone to skip their classes and protest. So, if we bring the protest to them, I thought that might make it a little easier,” Clark said when questioned about the motivation behind the demonstration.
“I just hope that members of the community became aware that some students stand with Gaza,” explained Gus Thomas ’25, an attendee at the sit-in. “Even if they didn’t take the time to stop and learn about the protest, I hope that they could see that this matters to people here.”
Students at The College of Wooster are not alone in their fight to shed light upon this issue on campus. Denison University’s Students for Justice in Palestine recently released a statement in conjunction with students at The College of Wooster, Kenyon College and Oberlin College calling on their institutions to take action against “the senseless and brutal slaughter taking place in Palestine right now.” The statement reflects their collective opposition of the Biden administration sending aid to Israel during this time and urges their respective institutions to release a statement pertaining to the issue, alongside a list of demands that echoed this sentiment.
Overall, organizers and attendees alike were pleased with the reception that the protest received from the campus community. “I know it’s a very contentious issue. I was expecting that there might be a shouting match. [I’m] very grateful that there wasn’t,” sit-in attendee Ben Van Horssen ’24 remarked. “Most people were supportive, and if they weren’t supportive they just walked on by.”
“The people who were critical, they asked good questions. We had healthy, civil discussions that did not devolve into a shouting match,” Van Horssen explained.
