New School students and faculty in support of Palestine have occupied the Welcome Center and are demanding the Board of Trustees vote to divest from companies supporting Israel. The group is letting people out of the building but allowing no one inside.

The demonstrators renamed the building the “Lama Jamous Center,” in honor of Lama Jamous of Gaza. The new encampment is directly across from the University Center, where the faculty Refaat Alareer Solidarity Encampment is located.

The center is the first stop for campus tours and houses the offices of admissions, Student Involvement and Engagement, and other academic and administrative personnel. 

During a rally for divestment, demonstrators entered the center and attempted to bring in tents. As New School staff tried to prevent them from entering, a student was injured during an altercation with a security guard. 

In a video obtained by the New School Free Press, the student was seen sitting on the ground, while another student attempted to push the guard off of them. One student was kicked multiple times and shoved into the group surrounding them. The student was left with a large cut on their side, according to a story posted on the TNS_FSE Instagram.

Two New School officials who stood behind the security guard told students they were not allowed to bring tents into the building. The officials who were preventing the students from entering the building, Thomas Whalen, Vice President of Building and Campus Operations, and Paul Gottlieb, Fire and Life Safety Director, have been seen at multiple demonstrations on campus. 

Shortly after this occurred, demonstrators were able to fully occupy the building. Posters of the trustees’ faces and other art were placed on the first floor’s glass walls, and banners and a Palestinian flag were hung from the upper levels. 

This is a developing story.