NYU has barred nearly 30 law students from entering most university buildings after staging an eight-hour sit-in outside President Linda Mills’ office on Tuesday. The group had sent a letter to Mills that morning, demanding she meet with them to discuss the university’s student conduct policy, its stance on immigration and its investments in companies with ties to Israel amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
Members of NYU’s chapter of Law Students for Justice in Palestine congregated on the 12th floor of Bobst Library at around 10 a.m., declaring that they would not leave until they scheduled a meeting with Mills. The students left at about 6 p.m., chanting “shame” as they walked down stairs to the library’s lobby. A member of LSJP, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said that Dean of Students Rafael Rodriguez had told them Mills was not in her office that day.
“Adminstration was extremely aggressive,” the LSJP member told WSN. “From the very beginning, they were adamant that they would not be allowing any kind of discussion regarding negotiation.”
Taylor, a second-year NYU Law student who requested partial anonymity due to safety concerns, said that Rodriguez would not find an alternative time for them to meet with Mills or her chief of staff, Emma Wolfe. Rodriguez repeatedly threatened the group with disciplinary action if they remained on the 12th floor, and shortly afterward, Campus Safety officers filmed students’ IDs and handed out pamphlets detailing the university’s protest policy.
Taylor said that students received emails from the Division of Student Affairs informing them that they were “prohibited from entering any other university locations for any purpose other than attending a scheduled class” or their assigned residence halls, and that they were specifically restricted access to Bobst. A copy of the email obtained by WSN detailed that further action is pending review from the School of Law’s Executive Committee and the Office of the Dean of Students.
In a video posted on LSJP’s Instagram account, the group lined up against the railing with signs reading “DIVEST” and “NYU LAW STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE” sprawled across the floor. Taylor also said when they initially reached the 12th floor, there was only one Campus Safety officer at the top of the stairs — but that within minutes, there were several monitoring the group. Several students also told WSN that demonstrators could not leave to use the bathroom and return to the sit-in.
“A group of law students rushed past our Campus Safety officers and entered the 12th floor of the university’s main library,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to WSN. “The students were told that disregarding the direction of Campus Safety officers, disrupting university operations and protesting in the library — all of which they did — are violations of university rules.”
As the demonstration took place, around two dozen students and faculty picketed outside the library with the same commands. The students held signs reading “NYU OUT OF PALESTINE” and “SHUT IT DOWN!” and chanted “Linda Mills, your hands are red” and “Linda Mills, you can’t hide.” The anonymous student told WSN that several counterprotesters aggressively approached students, but that Campus Safety officers did not address the agitations.
Students told WSN that after the group disbanded, around 20 students from the protest and sit-in walked to Vanderbilt Hall — however, after one student showed their identification to a Campus Safety officer in front of the law school building, the entire group was told to line up along the side of the building and were denied entry. When a second group of students not present at the demonstration asked why the students were waiting outside the building, they were also barred from entering.
NYU Law spokesperson Michael Orey said in a statement to WSN that that there was “a brief delay in admitting people” to Vanderbilt Hall, and that all students showing their NYU IDs “who were not on a persona non-grata list” were permitted into the building.
“It was based entirely on the way that we looked,” Taylor said. “For example, any person who walked up to the entrance of the law school in a suit was immediately ushered in for an event, and the 20 of us who showed up in keffiyehs — who are actual law students — were immediately told that we could not enter.”
The group’s publicized letter to Mills called on NYU to divest from companies with ties to Israel, shut down its site in Tel Aviv and pardon students facing disciplinary action for their participation in pro-Palestinian protests. They also demanded the university counter any efforts from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to surveil, arrest or deport students.
Last month, a series of publicized conversations between Mills and an NYU parent — who has called for the deportation of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses through a popular Facebook group — drew criticism from students and faculty. The incident was a major talking point at Tuesday’s demonstration, where students criticized Mills for speaking with the parent while not having met with pro-Palestinian organizations on campus.
“They’re waiting outside to be afforded the same audience that Linda Mills has afforded other actors after months of students being ignored,” the anonymous LSJP member said. “They’re prepared to wait until that comes about.”
In December, at least 13 students were suspended — and several more were issued persona non grata statuses — after holding sit-ins on the library’s top floor and in the main lobby. The demonstrations had similarly called for administrators to reinstate negotiations with students, claiming they had previously agreed to disclose its investment portfolio. The suspensions have since been the subject of several protests and petitions from students, faculty and alumni.
Last month, NYU said it would “comply with the law” in regards to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. President Donald Trump has called for the deportation of “all foreign students and faculty who support Hamas” and recently flagged NYU as one of 10 universities subject to an investigation about antisemitism on campus.
Dharma Niles contributed reporting.
Update, March 5: This article has been updated with a statement from an NYU Law spokesperson.
Contact Amelia Hernandez Gioia at [email protected].
