DePaul University says it's still fixing up quad 2 months after encampment protest
CHICAGO (CBS) -- DePaul University has been fixing up the quad at its Lincoln Park campus, after pro-Palestinian protesters camped out there for weeks.
In a Tuesday letter to faculty, staff, and students, DePaul vice president of facility operations Rich Wiltse wrote that the quad has remained closed ever since the encampment ended in mid-May so damage could be repaired.
Work crews as of July were still removing graffiti; leveling and resodding grass in a process that takes about six weeks; and replacing landscape flowers and plants, damaged fencing panels, outdoor tables, trash cans, and portions of the concrete sidewalk.
While the quad is closed, part of it has been set aside for use by Fred's Camp, a children's summer day camp program.
"This is necessary to fulfill DePaul's contractual obligations to the children's day camp," Wiltse wrote. "Our facilities team is working collaboratively with camp leadership to ensure repair projects will be completed on time while allowing campers safe access to green space."
DePaul plans to reopen the quad in late August to welcome students returning for the fall quarter, Wiltse wrote.
Chicago Police removed the pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul on Thursday, May 16. It had been in place since April 30, as protesters demanded the school cut ties with Israel. Protesters joined the nationwide college protests in support of Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
The same day the tents were taken down, DePaul outlined what it considered "threats to safety and disruption of campus operations" associated with the encampment, highlighting altercations and criminal activity on campus.
The university said weapons were recovered from the encampment site during the tent removal—including knives, a pellet gun, and other "improvised weapons." Also documented were boards on the ground with long nails or screws sticking out that the university said were set up as traps along the fence that separates the quad from Fullerton Avenue.
DePaul also reported more than 1,000 complaints altogether, including more than 625 registered complaints from neighbors and community members, and more than 425 from students, faculty and staff, and parents.
An encampment on the Evanston campus at Northwestern University was voluntarily taken down after an agreement was reached with the university. On May 7, University of Chicago Police intervened to take down an encampment on the Main Quad at that university's Hyde Park campus after an impasse was also reached between the university and protesters.