Students, Supporters to Call on Occidental College to Drop Disciplinary Charges Over Inauguration Protest

A coalition of students, alumni, faculty and community leaders is set to hold a press conference Tuesday demanding that Occidental College drop threats of expulsion against three students facing conduct hearings stemming from a protest at the inauguration of the college’s new president.

The press conference, which begins at 10:00 am at the intersection of Campus Road and Alumni Avenue, comes one day before the campus is scheduled to hold conduct hearings,

Protesters and supporters say the demonstration was peaceful and accuse security of using excessive force.

According to an article in the campus newspaper, about 30 Occidental Students for Justice in Palestine (Oxy SJP) protesters attempted to force their way through Campus Safety and private security guards into the event at 4 p.m., shortly after Board of Trustees Chair Lisa Link introduced Stritikus.

The Pasadena City Council adopted a Declaration for Peace in the Middle East in March 2024, following public testimony and advocacy from local residents and activists.

Stritikus reportedly informed the audience that a protest was in progress and that someone had called 911, and said there was no threat to the audience.

Vice President of Marketing and Communications Perrine Mann said three Campus Safety personnel, five guards from Code Four and roughly 30 protesters were involved.

The article contained a link to a video posted to an Instagram account April 26, that shows the confrontation between security officers.

A June 16, 2025 executive summary from an investigation commissioned by the college has been posted to the college website.

Occidental hired the law firm Saul Ewing LLP to conduct an independent review of the incident. According to the college, the firm reviewed video footage, photos, social media posts, staff interviews and other documents.

The investigation concluded that the protest was not peaceful and that students “intentionally initiated physical contact with unarmed security personnel.” It also found that protestors made efforts to evade identification and that security acted in self-defense while attempting to control access to the venue.

“The evidence collected during this investigation supports the conclusion that the protest was not peaceful, and that protestors intentionally initiated physical contact with unarmed security personnel, among other findings,” according to the summary.

Student witnesses did not respond to requests from investigators or to the college’s call for injury reports, according to the summary. The full investigative report has not been released publicly.

Despite the college’s findings, supporters of the students say the conduct process is retaliatory and undermines student rights.

Occidental officials maintain that the college supports the right to peaceful protest but said the inauguration demonstration violated campus policies and posed a risk of injury to attendees and staff. They said disciplinary proceedings are proceeding through the college’s standard conduct process.

In its June statement, the college also said it is creating “spaces for dialogue and restorative practices” and has begun outreach to student organizations with the intent to resume community conversations in the fall.

Tuesday’s press conference will feature students, civil rights advocates, and faculty members calling on Occidental to suspend disciplinary actions and focus on rebuilding trust.

The conduct hearings begin Wednesday.