On Sunday, a peaceful demonstration and encampment organized by Students for the Liberation of Palestine was set up on the Studley Quad, in front of the main entrance to the Henry Hicks Building. There are approximately 20 tents onsite, and the protest has remained peaceful.
We know that many members of our community share similar frustrations and concerns to those being expressed at university encampments across the country, and around the world.
We are committed to the safety and well-being of our entire community and, in alignment with our mission as a learning institution, to maintaining open lines of communication through respectful, non-violent dialogue and debate — even, and especially, when those conversations are hard. We are monitoring the peaceful protest and engaging with its organizers and participants with those principles in mind.
The Henry Hicks Building is open as usual. If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them to your supervisor. Dal Security will be onsite and available to support safety needs of our community, and those involved in the demonstrations.
Above all, please continue to be respectful of others, in your words and actions, as you engage on this important issue. Many people are struggling with the state of the world right now and, as a university, it is essential that we remain a place of informed debate and critical discourse where conflicting views can co-exist, while we strive to see each other’s humanity across difference.
Sincerely,
Kim Brooks
President and Vice-Chancellor
Rick Ezekiel
Vice-Provost Student Affairs
Dalhousie University is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. We are all Treaty people.
We recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Mi'kma'ki known as Nova Scotia for over 400 years.