Campus Alert Archive
Princeton

Three Hours in the Dean's Office: Princeton's 13 Clio Hall Arrests and Vice President Calhoun's 'Dangerous Situation' Letter

NJcivil unrestadvisoryhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

At approximately 5:15 PM EDT on Monday April 29, 2024, 13 pro-Palestine protesters entered Clio Hall — home to Princeton's Graduate School administration — and began a sit-in inside the office of Dean Rodney Priestley. Approximately 200 supporters gathered outside chanting and banging on buckets. By just before 8:00 PM EDT, Princeton Public Safety officers had released all 13 from the building and issued trespass summonses — to five undergraduates, six graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and one Princeton Theological Seminary student enrolled in a class at the University. The next afternoon, Vice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun issued a community letter calling the sit-in 'an escalation into unlawful behavior that created a dangerous situation.'

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Princeton University
Private R1 · NJ
~8,842 studentsPrincetonAlerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from the Daily Princetonian's quotation of President Christopher Eisgruber's email to the University community sent at approximately 10:30 PM EDT on April 29, 2024658 chars
Earlier this evening, a group of individuals entered Clio Hall and refused to leave, occupying the office of the Dean of the Graduate School. This action represents an escalation of the demonstration that began Thursday morning in McCosh Courtyard into unlawful behavior that created a dangerous situation for protesters, University staff, and law enforcement. All individuals who occupied Clio Hall have been removed and will face University discipline as well as criminal trespass charges. The behavior of those who entered Clio Hall is completely unacceptable and stands in stark contrast to the great majority of demonstrators who have remained peaceful.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Sent approximately 2.5 hours after the sit-in had ended — Princeton waited to communicate until the disposition was clear
The phrase 'completely unacceptable' was an unusually direct rebuke from Eisgruber, who had generally taken a measured tone throughout the spring 2024 protests
Princeton did not issue a PrincetonAlerts SMS for the incident — the building occupation was treated as a disciplinary matter rather than an emergency
FOLLOW-UPEmail+16h 30m
Verified verbatimVice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun's letter to students, faculty, and staff posted to campuslife.princeton.edu on April 30, 2024601 chars
Yesterday, a group of individuals entered Clio Hall, occupied the office of the Dean of the Graduate School, and refused to leave when asked to do so by University officials. This represented an escalation from the ongoing demonstration in McCosh Courtyard into unlawful behavior that created a dangerous situation for protesters, University staff, and law enforcement. Princeton remains committed to the rights of free expression and peaceful protest. We are equally committed to ensuring that demonstrations do not interfere with the operations of the University or with the safety of our community.
Calhoun's letter was the formal university communication explaining the previous day's events to community members who had not been on campus
The phrase 'created a dangerous situation' was contested throughout the subsequent year-plus of court proceedings; Princeton Borough Municipal Judge John McCarthy III '69 ultimately dismissed the charges in summer 2025 after the original October 2024 motion to dismiss was denied
Princeton's pattern of issuing letters from Vice President Calhoun and President Eisgruber — rather than PrincetonAlerts pushes — reflects the institutional preference for treating Gaza-related civil unrest as disciplinary rather than emergent
Context

Background

The April 29, 2024 Clio Hall occupation was the most contained spring 2024 Ivy League civil-unrest incident — 13 arrests, no riot gear, no NYPD, no state troopers, and a complete disposition within approximately three hours. Protesters entered Clio Hall at approximately 5:15 PM EDT during the monthly Council of the Princeton University Committee (CPUC) meeting and occupied Dean of the Graduate School Rodney Priestley's office. Approximately 200 supporters gathered outside. Princeton Public Safety officers — not municipal police, not state troopers — released all 13 from the building by just before 8:00 PM EDT and issued trespass summonses: five undergraduates, six graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and one Princeton Theological Seminary student also enrolled in a course at the University. President Eisgruber emailed the community at 10:30 PM EDT calling the action 'completely unacceptable.' VP Calhoun's next-day letter used the phrase 'dangerous situation' that became a central object of subsequent litigation. The court case stretched more than a year: in October 2024, Judge John McCarthy III '69 declined to dismiss the charges at a pre-trial hearing; the case was set for trial after a second plea deal collapsed in early 2025; and on June 17, 2025 the charges were dismissed without prejudice after McCarthy rejected the defendants' first apology letter as 'a political manifesto'; the dismissal was converted to dismissal with prejudice with automatic expungement on July 7, 2025. The McCosh Courtyard sit-in that had begun Thursday April 25 relocated to Cannon Green after Clio and continued until May 15. The case is significant for this archive because it documents (a) the Ivy League's most procedurally contained spring 2024 civil-unrest sweep, (b) Princeton's institutional preference for written letters from Calhoun/Eisgruber over PrincetonAlerts pushes, and (c) the eventual judicial dismissal — one of the few cases in the spring 2024 wave where trial-court charges were thrown out and expungements ordered.
Analysis

Key Findings

Approximately three hours from entry to release — the most contained Ivy League civil-unrest disposition of spring 2024 documented in this archive
Princeton Public Safety officers handled the entire arrest sequence without bringing in municipal police, state troopers, or riot-gear support
VP Calhoun's 'dangerous situation' framing became the central object of subsequent litigation; Princeton Borough Municipal Judge John McCarthy III '69 declined to dismiss the charges in October 2024 but eventually dismissed them — without prejudice on June 17, 2025 and with prejudice on July 7, 2025 — with automatic expungements ordered
President Eisgruber's 10:30 PM EDT email used unusually direct language ('completely unacceptable') compared to his generally measured posture throughout spring 2024
No PrincetonAlerts SMS push was issued — Princeton treated the occupation as a disciplinary matter rather than an emergency, consistent with the Ivy League pattern for non-violent civil unrest
Outcome
Thirteen people arrested and given summonses for trespassing — five undergraduates, six graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and one Princeton Theological Seminary student who was also enrolled in a class at the University. President Christopher Eisgruber emailed the campus at 10:30 PM EDT calling the protest 'completely unacceptable.' After a protracted court process — in which Judge John McCarthy III '69 declined to dismiss the charges in October 2024 and rejected the defendants' initial apology letter as 'a political manifesto' — the charges were dismissed without prejudice on June 17, 2025 and converted to a dismissal with prejudice with automatic expungement on July 7, 2025. The Cannon Green sit-in that followed Clio Hall continued until May 15, 2024 when it disbanded peacefully.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Clio Hall occupation ends in 13 arrests, sit-in relocates to Cannon Green (Daily Princetonian)
    dailyprincetonian.com
  2. official press release
    An important message from VP Calhoun regarding yesterday's incident at Clio Hall (Princeton Office of the VP for Campus Life)
    campuslife.princeton.edu
  3. Official
    What Really Happened When Protesters Occupied Clio Hall? (Princeton Alumni Weekly)
    paw.princeton.edu
  4. Official
    Judge Dismisses Charges Against Clio Hall Protesters, Asks for Apology (Princeton Alumni Weekly)
    paw.princeton.edu
  5. Student Paper
    Clio Hall protesters arraigned in court for trespassing charge (Daily Princetonian)
    dailyprincetonian.com
Tags
civil-unrestgaza-encampmentclio-halldean-office-occupationprinceton-public-safetyprincetonivy-leaguenew-jerseyprivate-r1charges-dismissed
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion