USC Protestors Call for Campus Dialogue amidst Expanding Pro-Palestine Demonstrations and UCLA Violence

Rewriting article: Protestors at USC plan to call on President Carol Folt to initiate “emergency campus student dialogue” in response to recent demonstrations supporting Palestinian and Israeli efforts during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. This follows a similar protest that took place yesterday at UCLA, where fights broke out between opposing groups after barriers meant to separate them were breached. The university has expressed dismay over these physical altercations, stating that even when there are disagreements, respect and recognition of each other’s humanity must be maintained. As the protest continues expanding on USC’s campus, with pro-Palestine demonstrators camping in various locations since Thursday morning, demands have been made for divestment from companies linked to Israel by both UCLA and University of California as a whole. The university has opposed calls for boycotts against or divestments from Israel due to the impinging on academic freedom caused by such actions, but notes that none of its tuition and fees are used for investment purposes in this regard.