The week at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, was supposed to be a celebratory one. In other years, the campus would be buzzing with activity around finals and commencement. Final-year students would be preparing to salute their alma mater goodbye.
Instead, the Cal Poly campus on this rugged part of California’s coast sat empty. Classes were held remotely, with students and professors unable to come on to campus. On Wednesday, graduating students were taking photos on the edges of campus, smiling in their caps and gowns. Just out of frame were the orange barriers and police cars blocking entrances.
Administrators at the public university implemented a strict lockdown last week, after students protesting the war in Gaza staged a week-long occupation of campus buildings in a high-profile demonstration that made headlines across the country and kicked off a new wave of activism on US college campuses.
