There continues to be misunderstanding and misinformation related to the FBI’s involvement in the recent encampment on campus. The following information is meant to clarify the very limited interactions the College had with the FBI. (For more on the encampment itself, please read President Valerie Smith’s recent message to the campus community.) 

• On Thursday, May 1, the College became the target of a cyber attack that led to widespread network slowness and intermittent network outages.
  • While this was the day after the encampment on Trotter Lawn began, there is no information that suggests the two events are related.
• While the type of cyber attack, known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), is not uncommon, the intensity of the attack was much greater than what the College typically experiences.
• Given the unusual nature of the attack and the impact on the College’s network, Information Technology Services (ITS) staff reached out to the FBI’s cybersecurity team for support.
• While responding to the College’s request for support, the FBI shared that it was aware of an increased volume of social media activity geared toward attracting people from the region to the encampment on campus.
• Swarthmore’s Students for Justice in Palestine, the suspended student organization responsible for the encampment, repeatedly used social media to urge people from outside of the campus community to join them, and soon afterwards, unknown individuals began to arrive on campus.
• Given the volume of social media traffic related to the encampment and the repeated calls by SJP for people unaffiliated with Swarthmore to come to campus, the FBI urged the College to bring the encampment to an end.
• That was the extent of the interaction between the College and the FBI related to the encampment. As President Smith wrote in her message to the community, the fact that the encampment drew concern from outside law enforcement agencies was just one of many factors that led the College to seek assistance from local police to end the encampment.
  • “With rising concerns about safety and security on campus, a continued and growing presence of individuals unaffiliated with the College, warnings from outside law enforcement agencies, and no signs that protestors were willing to engage in conversation that would bring the encampment to an end, I felt we had no choice but to seek outside assistance from local law enforcement.”
• ITS was able to largely restore network functionality affected by the cyber attack by Friday, May 2. 

UPDATE 11:10 a.m.: Today, President Smith wrote:  "Early this morning, I made the terribly difficult decision to seek assistance from the Swarthmore Borough Police Department to bring to an end a four-day encampment on campus." She then explained the actions that led to this "extraordinary measure and the resulting consequences" - including the arrest of one current student. "As painful as this moment is, I hope it can also serve as an inflection point — a chance to return to the principles that have long defined our community."

8:15 a.m. With rising concerns about safety and security on campus, a continued and growing presence of individuals unaffiliated with Swarthmore College, warnings from outside law enforcement agencies, and no signs that protestors were willing to engage in conversation that would bring the encampment to an end, the College had no choice but to seek outside assistance from local law enforcement. As painful as this moment is, the hope is that it can also serve as an inflection point — a chance to return to the principles that have long defined the College community. More information will be shared as soon as it is available.

This afternoon, members of Swarthmore Students for Justice in Palestine, a suspended student organization, and other students began a protest on Trotter Lawn, where they have erected tents and invited non-community members to join them. In an abundance of caution and for the safety of the community, we have restricted access to campus and urge people to avoid the area. We are working to end what appears to be a developing encampment, which would be a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

In a message to the community, President Smith addresses how the College is responding to the "unprecedented and disturbing actions" the federal government is taking against institutions of higher education.

"Together, we will work to ensure that Swarthmore and higher education continue to stand as beacons of truth and knowledge," Smith stated.

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members,

UPDATE, April 25: Students who chose to do so have completed the appeals process. Although all of the initial findings were upheld, the Student Code of Conduct allows for sanctions to be revised. There were two instances in which sanctions were modified based on extenuating circumstances identified in those appeals. Due to privacy concerns, we can’t discuss any specific case in detail. However, while all of the findings were upheld on appeal, none of the sanctions prevent anyone from completing their degree this academic year.

We received the letter from the Office for Civil Rights late Monday. As we said when the complaint against Swarthmore was filed last March (incidentally, by an individual with no known affiliation with the College), we are committed to complying with the law and working with the federal government as it reviews the allegations.
 

UPDATE 1:40 p.m.: An event that took place today outside the entrance to Sharples Commons ended peacefully. 

11:31 a.m.: In a message to the community, President Smith shared that the Instagram account associated with Swarthmore Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) posted a hateful, racist message that included a reference to the Ku Klux Klan and was directed toward a Jewish staff member.

Read the full message.

Renovations to Ben West House, where Public Safety is located, will begin March 2025 and continue through the early fall. During that time, Public Safety’s offices and operations will be temporarily located in nearby Bond Hall.

This spring, Clothier Lawn and the lawn in front of McCabe Library will be prepared for well drilling that will begin this June, after Alumni Weekend. Site preparations include fence installation, topsoil stripping, water mitigation, sound mitigation, and the preservation of heritage trees in the area. Drilling will also take place on both sides of Magill Walk, so sound barriers will be installed around the entire perimeter of the drilling sites. While all nearby ADA paths will remain open, other paths that run perpendicular to Magill Walk will be closed. To accommodate pedestrian traffic, a new temporary pathway will be put in place to facilitate access from Mertz Hall to the Dining and Community Commons during construction.

Given ongoing construction, access is limited to the Lang Music Building. Pedestrians can access Lang Music through the first floor of the Lang Performing Arts Center. Pedestrians and vehicles can also access Lang Music through its parking lot, via Whittier Place from the Water Tower Lot or Cornell Library. 

The 2025 Commencement ceremony will take place at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, a beautiful, open-air, covered venue in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, located about 10 miles from campus. The ceremony, which will be livestreamed on the College’s website, will take place on Sunday, May 25, at 11 a.m. ET. More information about ticketing, transportation, accessibility accommodations, and other logistics will be shared in the coming weeks. You can also visit the Commencement website.