Anti-Israel students at Bowdoin College in Maine are learning the hard way about the new realities of campus life in the Trump era after university officials, breaking with the recent past at many other universities, moved promptly to quash an indoor encampment set up to protest Israel’s war at Gaza. 

The pro-Palestinian group, Students For Justice in Palestine, organized an encampment with tents in Bowdoin’s student union building Thursday. However, their defiance of the administration’s warning about disciplinary hearings is leading to students getting temporarily barred from campus pending a disciplinary hearing.

A letter posted on Monday reminded students that they were given until 8:30 a.m. on February 10 to leave, but they did not. “As a result, I have determined that you will be placed on immediate temporary suspension, effective immediately, pending a College disciplinary process,” the senior vice president and dean for student affairs, Jim Hoppe, said in the letter.

The students who were given a temporary suspension for their participation in the encampment were informed they would not be able to attend their spring classes and that they “must vacate campus” by 5 p.m. on Monday. It also warned that if they returned to campus during their suspension, they could face additional disciplinary measures. 

Mr. Hoppe included the portion of Bowdoin’s community standards, which state students can be given a temporary suspension if it is determined that “the continued presence of a student is contrary to the best interests of the campus environment, or if the suspected behavior of a student jeopardizes the safety and/or welfare of the campus environment. 

Additionally, Mr. Hoppe’s letter informs the students that their families will receive a copy of the letter. 

Representatives for Bowdoin College did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. 

The anti-Israel demonstrators said Thursday they were protesting because the university was not complying with a student initiative passed in May that required the college to disclose investments in weapons manufacturers. 

“Today, we launch this encampment, demanding that Bowdoin immediately commit to fully realizing all four demands of our referendum,” a statement about the protest reads.

The demonstrators also pointed to President Trump’s proposal for America to “take over” Gaza.

Around midnight on Friday, the senior associate dean for student affairs, Katie Toro-Ferrari, told protesters they had until 1 a.m. to disperse. The student paper, the Bowdoin Orient, reported that college officials collected student IDs of the protesters who decided to stay past the deadline, and even after the warning, more students decided to join the encampment. 

On Friday morning, Mr. Hoppe said Bowdoin supports students’ “right to express their views” but said that the university’s “policy prohibits activities that disrupt the normal operations of the College.”

Despite the warnings of disciplinary action, the SJP says its members would stay in their encampment for “as long as it takes” to get the university to divest from weapons manufacturers. 

On Monday, the group said in a statement that students had received notices informing them of their temporary suspensions. However, the group said students participating in the protest have “remained resolute” in their cause.