UNM Students return to campus after spring semester tensions

University of New Mexico students hurried to move-in for the upcoming semester Friday, hefting mini-fridges up stairs into their residence halls and darting in and out looking for their classrooms.

Students are returning to campus, and classes are back in session on Monday, after a turbulent spring semester marked with tension between UNM administration and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

While this may be the start of a new academic year, the protests are still fresh in the minds of many students.

“I thought that they were really brave for it,” said incoming freshman Alyx Smith, “and, like, I definitely admired that they were doing the right thing, and standing up for their sense of justice and defending their morals.”

Smith watched the protests unfold on the internet while finishing their senior year of high school in Cloudcroft.

On April 22, protesters, composed of university students, alumni, faculty and other community members, camped out on the UNM Duck Pond in solidarity with other universities nationwide. Among their demands was that the University make a public statement in support of a cease-fire, disclose investments tied to Israel and divest from said funds.

Tensions culminated in protesters occupying the Student Union Building on April 29 through the earlier hours of April 30. During the occupation, UNM State police and UNMPD arrested 16 pro-Palestine protesters, according to court records.

Other students saw the protests as disruptive.

“I totally understand it,” said Darien Melching, a returning student. “I support the cause. But, I just can’t see why vandalizing something in which we all have to pay in for would be the approach to go with.”

UNM leadership said that protesters damaged and vandalized the SUB and other campus property in a statement to the public.

Before rejoining New Student Orientation in the very same building that was occupied by protesters several months ago, Melching said that his biggest concern was protests “impeding student life.”

The question now is — has the movement lost steam over the summer or are things just getting started?

“I feel like things are going to be volatile,” said Soham Sen, a graduate student from India and instructor in the Department of Communication and Journalism, “But I also have a huge faith in the student community.”

Sen participated in the protests but never stuck around long out of fear of endangering his visa and having his life here in the states uprooted. In his classroom, Sen has incorporated teaching and student-led dialogue surrounding the Israel-Hamas war and what the United Nations has declared as a “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza.

Support from faculty is exactly what some students are looking for this fall.

“It’s very hard [issue] for me to navigate,” said incoming freshman Raven Callawy-Kidd, “I like learning from people, not articles.”

Sen’s primary concern for the upcoming semester, although he finds it unlikely, is that the University will place more stringent guidelines that restrict student speech both inside the classroom and on campus much like Columbia, which has come under fire for its free speech policies.

The University has imposed no such policies so far, said UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Cinnamon Blair.

“We’re focusing more on educating people on how protest differs from civil unrest,” Blair said.

When asked what the future holds, Sen said he’s keeping a positive outlook.

“I’m hopeful,” Sen said, “I’m hopeful that it’s going to be positive even though there might be some turbulence in between.”