The University suspended Students for Justice in Palestine until May 2026 for hosting unapproved events in March, according to an April 14 Conflict Education and Student Accountability conduct decision obtained by The Hatchet.
The suspension requires SJP to cease all on and off-campus activities until at least May 18, 2026, and imposes additional sanctions including completing a “return from suspension plan” and serving a full academic year of disciplinary probation following the suspension. The conduct decision comes after officials temporarily suspended SJP ahead of its week of programming for Palestine Liberation Week in March for allegedly blocking University officials from attending their events earlier in the month.
During the suspension, the group is not allowed to host events, post fliers on campus, spend student organization funding or associate with GW in “any capacity,” according to the decision. The group is only allowed to meet to complete sanctions or consult with their advisor, according to the decision.
SJP did not return a request for comment.
The panel also concluded that if there was “clearer advising,” SJP’s interactions with Division of Student Affairs officials would’ve been “mitigated,” and the organization might not have lost DSA approval for their events from March 16 to March 21.
Officials suspended SJP in November 2023 for three months after the group projected anti-Israel and anti-GW images onto Gelman Library, as well as the duration of the fall semester following the pro-Palestinian encampment in August 2024 and most recently for 21 days in March. Officials had placed the group on probation in August 2024, prior to the recent suspension, as a part of the sanctions placed on the group for its alleged involvement in the pro-Palestinian encampment.
The CESA student conduct panel found the group responsible for an “outcome violation,” or not adhering to the terms of prior conduct, for not receiving approval from their advisor to host events from March 16 to March 21, according to the decision. SJP hosted events that week as a part of Palestine Liberation Week, a week of “political education” and “mobilization” on Palestine, including a teach-in and panels with guest speakers that required attendees to RSVP beforehand. The only public events were daily tabling outside of Kogan Plaza and a protest on March 21 in James Monroe Park.
SJP had been required to get both on and off-campus events approved by an advisor as part of an earlier conduct decision issued in August 2024 for their alleged involvement in the pro-Palestinian encampment.
The panel’s decision states that SJP did not seek approval for off-campus activities after members of the group allegedly heard Brian Joyce, the assistant dean of student life, informing another student organization that they did not need advisor approval for off-campus activities.
The University did not return a request for comment.
The week of March 12, SJP and five other student organizations alleged the University banned them from hosting events after SJP denied a DSA official from attending SJP programming.
SJP received a directive to cease on and off-campus activities on March 7 and March 19, during the group’s Palestine Liberation Week, after events on March 4 and within March 16 to March 18, according to the decision.
On March 4, SJP hosted a teach-in on the first Intifada that Debra Bright, the associate vice provost of student affairs, attempted to attend, according to a March 12 SJP Instagram post. Bright was allegedly denied entry to the event by organizers because she had contributed to the “repression of students,” according to an Instagram post from SJP.
The panel also found SJP received “unclear advising” both directly and indirectly, including “contradictory statements” that made the policy on DSA officials attending future SJP events unclear, according to the decision.
Bright gave multiple reasons as to why she attended the event, including to learn about the topic and going at the request of other DSA officials, according to the decision.
While SJP continued to host events through the remainder of the week of March 16 to March 21, the panel found SJP not to be in violation of the directive because the original directive to cease on and off-campus activities was not “reasonable” because, per the Student Code of Conduct, the directive did not meet the standards to be issued. Officials could issue a directive if the group’s continued presence poses a threat to people on campus or impacts the University’s standard operations, according to the decision.
SJP faced other charges in the conduct panel, including disorderly conduct, discrimination and non-compliance for incidents related to events on March 4 and March 16 to March 21, which the panel found them not responsible for.
The other sanctions include disciplinary probation for a full academic year after their suspension is lifted, advisor approval for all events and postings during the probationary period, required meetings between the SJP president and its advisor and a semesterly review of conduct history and semesterly teach-in on University policy for members.
As a part of their sanctions, SJP is required to host semesterly teach-ins on University policy for its members led by CESA and Student Life. SJP must have these teach-ins any semester they wish to hold an event, and the teach-ins will continue for 10 consecutive semesters after the group is lifted from probation, according to the decision.
The last two sanctions are the return from suspension plan and a plan to lift probation, which will detail SJP’s membership, events, recruitment and social media presence — like what will be posted and when — and their compliance with University policies.
The return from suspension plan requires the group to submit a list of information, including a mission statement, bylaws, membership list, anticipated leadership structure and names, recruitment plan, meeting plan, plan on educating members about speech and expression, advising plan and social media plan, according to the decision.
For the plan to lift probation, the group must submit a revised mission statement, bylaws, leadership structure and names. The group must also submit a membership list – where students will again have to email CESA affirming they are aware of SJP’s probationary status – and reflections on plans laid out in the return from suspension plan.
The group must also submit reflections on their advising, events and social media plans from their return from suspension plan, along with proposed meeting times, in order to be lifted from disciplinary probation.
The group could be lifted from disciplinary probation sometime in 2027, at minimum after the completion of the 2026-2027 academic year, according to the decision.
