End-of-year FEST at DePaul University canceled with protest encampment continuing
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The 2024 FEST at DePaul University has been canceled, with a pro-Palestinian protest encampment still in place on campus and tensions having escalated.
An announcement on social media said: "Given the campus environment, FEST 2024 cannot proceed as planned. We will refund all student and guest tickets in full to those who have already purchased tickets."
FEST is a festival celebrating of the end of the academic year at DePaul – open to all students with limited guest tickets for sale. Rapper Swae Lee was set to be the headliner, along with singer-songwriter Claire Rosinkranz and DJ/producer duo TWINSICK as special guests.
The event had been planned for Friday in the DePaul Quad south of Fullerton Avenue between Clifton and Kenmore avenues. But that quad remains occupied by a tent encampment that was erected two weeks ago Tuesday.
On Saturday night, protesters at the encampment said they said they were at a stalemate with the university. They have since said they are anticipating a raid.
The university's president said in a statement, "We are extremely disappointed to share that discussions with the Divestment Coalition student leaders are at an impasse. Together with the Board of Trustees, we have worked to substantively respond to each of the demands the students have put forward. However, at this point, we are concerned that we are not on a path to understanding."
The school says within that message, the administration's response to the demands and additional terms set out Saturday were rejected by the students.
"They kind of released out emails kind of making it seem as if we're the ones who didn't want to negotiate anymore, but that wasn't the case. We are fully willing to negotiate," protester Henna Ayesh told CBS 2 over the weekend.
Students told CBS 2 they want to continue to negotiate. They say the only way they will dismantle the encampment themselves is if they come to an agreement.
At the start of the protest, a coalition of eight student organizations at DePaul issued a list of demands, including that DePaul "divest from companies that advance Palestinian suffering and profit off the occupation" of Gaza. University officials on Wednesday said they would meet with leaders or the group, along with other students. "with the hope of establishing a productive dialogue."
The university does plan to dismantle the encampment, but when that will happen is unclear.
The encampment protest at DePaul is the last among Chicago area universities.
Two weeks ago, an encampment on the Evanston campus at Northwestern University was voluntarily taken down after an agreement was reached with the university. Last week, 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.
