UW-Milwaukee students stage sit-in, calling attention to library named after Golda Meir
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About two dozen University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students staged a sit-in outside the chancellor's office Friday, escalating their demands for the Golda Meir library to be renamed and study abroad trips to Israel to end.
In response, UWM Police closed the building, escorted staff out and arrested one student for urinating in a stairwell, university spokeswoman Angelica Duria said.
The occupation was the latest flashpoint amid a tense time for college campuses since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last October.
Meir, who grew up in Milwaukee and is one of UWM's most notable alumna, was Israeli prime minister from 1969-74. A university library is named in her honor.
Campus supporters of Palestinians don't believe Meir deserves prominent recognition on campus.
UWM student Nada Mobarak was among the group who began occupying Chapman Hall shortly before noon Friday. She said she went to the bathroom on the first floor, and police prevented her from returning to the second floor, where Chancellor Mark Mone's office is located.
Mobarak disputed the university's account of a different student's arrest. She said the student was denied access to the bathroom and used a water bottle instead.
A few hours into the occupation, Mobarak said 15 to 20 students remained inside the building and were prepared with Pop-Tarts and other snacks to last several more hours — until they scheduled a meeting with Mone to discuss their demands or UWM police kicked them out of the building.
Mobarak is a member of the Students for a Democratic Society, which she said has been unsuccessfully trying for several months to meet with Mone. Students from other groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Student Association, also participated in the sit-in.
At least six squad cars were seen in the parking lot next to the building mid-afternoon.
"All we wanted was a meeting with the chancellor," Mobarak said. "There's really no reason for this. It's a bit excessive."
Mone agreed to meet with Students for a Democratic Society, Duria said, but a specific date and time haven't been decided due to complexities in the chancellor's schedule. The student group refused to leave without knowing a specific meeting date and time. UWM offered for them to meet with the university's dean of students, an offer Duria said they have not pursued.
"UWM has a responsibility to allow free speech on our campus, and SDS has held several protests on campus this academic year," Duria said. "But demonstrations cannot disrupt classes or normal university operations, and the occupation of a campus building is unlawful."
Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM students stage sit-in outside chancellor's office
