‘We are not on a path to understanding’: How ‘FEST’ at DePaul got cancelled, and where divestment talks are headed next
CHICAGO — Every year around the month of May, DePaul University hosts a festival known as ‘FEST’ on the school’s main quad in Lincoln Park, but according to a statement from the university, the event “Cannot proceed as planned.”
FEST, an annual event meant to celebrate the end of the academic calendar at DePaul, was scheduled to begin this Friday, but the quad where it is suppose to take place is currently occupied by tents, flags and signs put up by a Pro-Palestinian demonstrator group known as DePaul Divestment Coalition.
The encampment entered it’s 15th day on the quad Tuesday.
“There’s a treasured history of campus protest in this country and universities are places of free expression and free exchange of ideas,” said Kevin Fee, of the Senior Special Litigation Council for the ACLU of Illinois. “Those are values we take really seriously.”
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Fee said the ACLU of Illinois supports the student’s right to protest, and pointed out the agreements reached on other local campuses alongside what is unfolding at DePaul.
“It’s always disappointing to see any student event cancelled, especially one that seems to be as popular as FEST at DePaul,” Fee said. “That being said, this is an issue that is extremely important to students. The encampment is there because they feel really strong about this geopolitical issue.”
On Monday, DePaul’s administration shared the following statement with students on campus:
“Given the current campus environment, FEST 2024 cannot proceed as planned. We will refund all student and guest tickets in full to those who have already purchased tickets.” – DePaul University
The university later added they recognize the graduating class of 2024 had their high school graduation and first college year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and said they have other activities planned to take place in the Lincoln Park Student Center.
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Students on campus Tuesday showed mixed reactions toward the changes coming to the school.
“I think it’s a really small thing to be cancelled especially with everything that’s going on,” said Devon Spence, a junior at DePaul. “If the encampment can make a big difference, even the slightest difference I think it’s definitely worth it.”
“I am a little bit hurt that it’s cancelled,” said Rose Head, also a junior at DePaul. “I think it shouldn’t have been cancelled. I think they should have figured something out because they knew about this and it’s been going on for a while.”
In response to a request for comment from WGN News, DePaul’s communication team said as far as an agreement with the DePaul Divestment Coalition, the school’s leadership is “concerned that we are not on a path to understanding.”
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