2024 Student Encampment Protests Report

On April 17, Columbia University called the New York City Police Department and authorized it to take down an encampment set up on campus by student protesters who opposed Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The school also authorized the police to arrest students participating in the encampment protest. The next day, Columbia students established another encampment. They were joined in solidarity by students across the country, who established encampments on more than 100 campuses. These events presented a unique opportunity to assess what impact, if any, encampment protests have on the expression climate of America’s colleges and universities.

For this survey FIRE and College Pulse sampled 3,803 undergraduate students at 30 four-year colleges and universities in the United States between May 17, and June 25, 2024. Columbia University was specifically selected for inclusion because the encampment protests began there. 

Key Highlights Include

• Roughly 1 in 3 students (30%) have been disciplined, threatened with discipline, or know someone who has either been disciplined or threatened with discipline for expression on campus.
  
  
• Almost three-quarters of students (72%) said that it is at least “rarely” acceptable for college students to establish an encampment as part of a protest on campus, and 59% of college students said the same about occupying buildings.