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April 26, 2024
Dear Roadrunners,
Earlier today, the Auraria and Denver police departments dispersed an encampment in front of the Tivoli Quad, where a demonstration was underway. The protest was similar to those taking place on college campuses around the country and involved students and others who are not affiliated with our campus.
MSU Denver wholeheartedly supports the right to peacefully demonstrate, and those who gathered at the onset of Thursday’s protest did so peacefully. However, as the demonstration progressed, some participants established an encampment, which violates an Auraria Higher Education Center policy that prohibits camping. This policy was implemented years ago and is in no way intended to infringe on anyone’s right to assemble and protest. Rather, it is in place to ensure the health and safety of our campus community, as well as our ability to operate and fulfill our academic mission.
Despite our best efforts to engage in constructive dialogue protesters refused to negotiate.
Over the past two days:
- Campus administrators spoke with protestors and advised them repeatedly of our policy, including providing written copies.
- When protesters did not comply after numerous requests to do so, law enforcement this afternoon stepped in to remove the encampments.
- This resulted in the arrest of a number of protesters who did not comply with requests to clear the camp.
This action was taken only after exhaustive efforts to engage the protesters, to understand their perspectives and to explain campus safety policies. As the crowd and safety concerns grew, it became increasingly clear that our duty to protect students and our campus community was paramount.
Our role is to educate and to encourage learning through thoughtful and respectful dialogue, and we are deeply committed to freedom of expression. In that spirit, we will continue to support civil engagement and peaceable assembly, while working to ensure a safe and healthy campus environment for all of our students, employees and visitors.
If you have safety or other concerns, please remember that you can always contact the Auraria Police Department for assistance at 303-556-5000, text a tip to 720-593-TIPS (8477) or report instances of discrimination or harassment through the MSU Denver Office of Equal Opportunity.
Also remember that MSU Denver has a variety of resources to support students, faculty members and staff members in handling and processing conflict, including counseling, an employee-assistance program, student conflict-resolution services and restorative justice resources.
Sincerely,
Janine Davidson, Ph.D.
President