Crisis Management Missteps at the University of Denver

• In Event: Beyond the National Spotlight: Denver’s Palestine Solidarity Encampments, Organizer and Decolonial Perspectives, Institutional Responses, and the Limits of Free Speech

Abstract

On May 21, DU’s chancellor informed student protestors that they were required to disband the encampment. Students decided to maintain the encampment and a protest ensued. The chancellor did not inform key personnel on campus of his intention to disband the encampment, including staff who were working in the library in front of the encampment or any deans. Campus marshals monitored the protest and de-escalated tensions between protesters and counter-protesters, many of whom were visibly intoxicated and violent, and were attempting to dismantle the encampment themselves. We share research on crisis management and compare these best practices to the leadership failures at DU. We also share a timeline of events surrounding the encampment.

Author

• Cecilia M. Orphan, University of Denver