Officials completed the installation of the permanent fencing surrounding University Yard after beginning construction earlier this semester.
After local police cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment in May, officials installed 8-foot-tall metal fences around U-Yard and Kogan Plaza that limited access to GW’s most popular gathering spaces. University Spokesperson Julia Metjian said the installation of the new fencing is complete and the temporary anti-scale fences are “scheduled to be removed” but did not specify a timeframe.
Officials removed the fences surrounding Kogan over the summer but maintained fencing around U-Yard. GW’s “Strengthening Our Community” website, which officials launched in January due to increased campus tensions amid the war in Gaza, states security experts recommended the decision.
Metjian declined to comment on which experts the University consulted, who officials purchased the new fencing from, how much the new fencing cost, when officials completed the installation or how officials plan to deploy and remove the fencing when needed.
According to the website, officials kept the temporary fencing in place until they obtained new fencing that “aesthetically integrates” with the campus and can be deployed quickly around the space.
The permanent fencing stands about a dozen feet behind the temporary fences. The new fences have entry gates on each side of U-Yard with a metal rod that can be used to close the doors.
In October, students said the temporary fencing surrounding U-Yard was obsolete, and that officials have prematurely closed the fences several times throughout the semester during vigils and protests on campus.
The website states the temporary fencing was set to remain for the first part of the fall semester. In a September Faculty Senate meeting, Vice President for Safety and Operations Baxter Goodly said its arrival was delayed due to Hurricane Helene because the contractor is based in North Carolina. He said the new fences would be “much more pleasing” than the previous ones, and officials should still maintain the ability to close off U-Yard when deemed necessary by officials.
