PORTLAND, Oregon — Portland State University estimates it will cost roughly $750,000 to repair Millar Library, which was damaged by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied the building for several days.
The university gave the update Tuesday morning, but noted that the number is an initial estimate and said it could "increase or decrease by about $125,000." Portland State has insurance and is seeking a claim to offset some of the costs.
The estimate does not include expenses for replacing and repairing any damaged technology or furniture, and PSU President Ann Cudd said on Wednesday that she expected the full cost to surpass $1 million.
"We have seen many students around the country being able to draw that line, but then in some places, especially in places where outsiders have come in and fueled the flames, it's gone too far," she said, speaking at a press conference.
Cudd said the college has now shifted its focus to look at how to prevent a repeat incident while still protecting students' right to protest. Tensions on campus remain high, she said, with differing opinions about how the library occupation unfolded and how PSU responded.
"In recent days, I've been meeting with different groups of students and community members who are angry about how long we allowed the library occupation about why we worked with the police to clear it, and the climate on campus, which feels very fraught," she said.
Among the vandalism, the library's fire alarm system was damaged. Many walls, along with some pillars and areas of the ground, were spray-painted with messages. Some computers, TVs, windows and interior glass walls will need to be replaced. Library staff had feared for a collection of valuable items — including rare books and records that have not been digitized — but they were found untouched.
Administrators don't expect the library to reopen until the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. Despite the library being unusable until the fall at the earliest, some students on campus say they support what took place inside and believe it’s important to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza.
"You really have to make waves; basically, you have to make it so people can't ignore you, and the only way we saw of doing that on campus is by taking over the library," explained Art Cordova, a PSU student.
"The only way to get attention is to give people a reason to pay attention, and if that means spray-painting a few walls that are going to be easily repainted anyway, I think that's a good thing," added another student, Lesly Valdivia.
The opinions highlight the delicate tight rope President Cudd must walk when defining what is and isn’t acceptable on college campuses.
"We will continue to uphold the right to free speech and peaceful dissent on campus while also enforcing our campus policies about hate, trespassing and property damage," she said.
