User:MikoMek/sandbox2

Student activism
There were several student-led demonstrations in the late 1960s and early 1970s, primarily against the Vietnam War. In the spring of 1967, a sit-in protesting military recruitment on campus blocked the entrance to the Student Union for two days. While there were scores of demonstrators the first day, all but 13 dispersed before New York State Troopers arrived and bodily carried the demonstrators to a waiting school bus for a trip to court. In the fall of 1968, students rallied in support of Craig Pastor (now Craig DeYong) who had been arrested by New Paltz Village Police for desecration of the American flag which he was wearing as a superhero cape in a student film directed by Edward Falco. College President John J. Neumaier posted bail. Pastor was released and charges were dropped.

The Cambodian Campaign and concomitant Kent State shootings in May 1970 led to a protest that culminated in a five-day student occupation of the Administration Building, subsequently renamed Old Main after the opening of the Haggerty Administration Building two years later. A March 1974 sit-in at the Haggerty Building reacted against perceived discriminatory hiring practices, the state-mandated reintegration of Shango Hall (which then housed underrepresented students), and the threatened cessation of the experimental studies program in the wake of a budget shortfall.

Protests at the university over the issue of Palestinian emancipation have taken place throughout the 2020s. On February 28, 2024, members of the Israeli Defense Forces were invited to the campus by the Jewish Student Union with the assistance of the New Paltz chapter of Students Supporting Israel in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war. The event was held at College Terrace, and it featured three service members discuss their experience serving, as well as their opinions on the ongoing war. Organized in part by New Paltz Students for Palestine, protesters numbering over 150 students, alumni, and activists held a rally during and after the event, and protesters inside of College Terrace held signs and Palestinian flags. Following the event and the protest, President Wheeler released a statement, saying, "I write today to share a brief note of gratitude to those within our community who helped ensure that all participants’ safety and rights were protected during the event organized yesterday by our Jewish Student Union and the corresponding counter demonstration." On May 1, over 100 people pitched in to establish an encampment on Parker Quad. The creation of the encampment was spurred on by the Gaza Solidarity encampments established at other colleges across the country. Students and faculty participated. President Wheeler visited the encampment and asked them to dismantle the tents, but students refused. President Wheeler also wrote down notes regarding the demands of the organizers, which included divestment from companies doing business with Israel, amnesty for people disciplined by the school, and disclosure of the investments the school makes. On May 2, two members of Student Affairs visited the encampment in an effort to get students to dismantle it by 7:00 PM. The protesters refused, and were later told to leave by 9:00 PM. When the time came, they refused to leave, and administration called the police. Officers from New York State, the university, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Paltz Police Department all participated in the sweep. At least one student was injured after the police arrived.