Higher Ed Law Prof Blog

Evergreen State College Suspends Its Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society

Evergreen State College has suspended its campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society after the group planned an antiwar folk-music performance there, in violation of the institution’s ban on concerts, The Olympian, a local newspaper, reported on Tuesday.

The college imposed the ban after a concert on the campus in February sparked a riot. Following a performance by the hip-hop duo Dead Prez, police officers arrested a student whom they suspected of assault, and other students reacted by confronting the officers and damaging two police cars.Read the rest of the story from the Chronicle of Higher Education here.

Evergreen's official statement following the February 14th events:

Our campus community is shocked and concerned by the violence that occurred following the Dead Prez concert at The Evergreen State College on Thursday, February 14. A large crowd had a confrontation with police after the arrest of a concert attendee who was suspected of assault. Two police cars were damaged, one severely. Some individuals, both in the crowd and among police, suffered minor injuries. The event was over by the early morning hours on Friday. Only a small proportion of students was involved in or directly affected by the incident.

We have launched a police investigation to determine the facts and hold responsible parties accountable.

This incident is not representative of the philosophy or character of The Evergreen State College. It not only runs counter to our values of respect and civility, it casts a shadow on the outstanding academic work of our students and faculty. Evergreen has earned a national reputation for academic excellence, innovative interdisciplinary education and alumni success in graduate school and careers. This event distracts from those successes.

Evergreen Police Services is leading an investigation of the incident with support from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department. We will also be addressing the incident in a campus forum on February 19.

If you have information that would help in our investigation, please contact Police Services at 360-867-6832.

Read a history of Students for a Democratic Society here.