After a semester-long absence, the tables and chairs used by the pro-Palestinian protesters to build their encampment are seeing a return for students to use once again.
Students on campus before the Fall 2024 semester might remember the tables and chairs that were located on the west side of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library. A short distance from the food court, the tables by the library were a convenient spot for anyone to eat and relax.
Brand new tables and chairs saw a return on Thursday, Feb. 20 — and students were seen using them that very day.
Executive Director of Strategic Communications Erik F. Hollins said the tables and chairs were “damaged beyond repair during the encampment.” These actions were a serious violation of the university policy and the law, Hollins said. But no one involved with the vandalism was punished for damages done, as “no individuals have been identified in direct connections” and that “participants took measures to obscure their identities.”
Protesters constructed the encampment on the lawn in front of the gymnasium during the May Day demonstrations on May 1, 2024. The encampment used overturned furniture and makeshift barriers to surround the perimeter. Police dismantled the encampment in June after protesters took over and vandalized the Student Service Building.
After removing the encampment, the furniture that once dotted the area remained missing into the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters. This left students with less space to sit outside and enjoy the free time they had in between classes. The delay for their return took a long time because they had to be ordered and shipped out to the university.
“I feel, as a student, it’s important to have a space while I wait for my next class or hang out with friends,” Daniel Nogal said, a fourth-year student who said he would take advantage of this seating area.
It would be over a semester before students would see the return of the tables and chairs that were taken away from them. Nogal said, “I was surprised to see the university return the tables and chairs on campus this spring semester.”
Transfer student Joshua Limon said he was unaware of the missing outdoor seating.
“I think they’re nice and offer more students to sit,” said Limon.
Limon also commented on the use of the furniture in the protests.
“I think there’s a limit to when protesters can get a little bit out of hand and cause unnecessary havoc and destruction,” he said.
As a student worker in the health center, Limon said he doesn’t see much activity happening on campus, but he is glad that the university brought back the tables and likes seeing students utilizing them for work and leisure.
