The University deregistered the pro-Palestine group Penn Students Against the Occupation due to its failure to meet requirements necessary for Penn student organizations, a source familiar with the matter told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The University deregistered PAO on April 19 after The Center for Community Standards and Accountability completed an investigation into their status as a registered student group. In the investigation, CSA found that PAO failed to meet three different requirements necessary for student organizations at Penn, according to the source.
“The Office of Student Affairs has revoked the registration of Penn Students Against the Occupation, effective immediately,” a University spokesperson previously told the DP. “[PAO] has failed to comply with policies that govern student organizations at Penn, despite repeated efforts to engage with the group and to provide opportunities to resolve noncompliance.”
The source said that PAO was deregistered because it could not provide any information on membership — or if its members are Penn-affiliated — because it uses an anonymous messaging system for group communications. They also said the group was unable to identify who performs basic operational functions of the organization, and was unwilling to provide contact information for student members.
A complaint by faculty sparked CSA’s investigation, according to the source. He said several faculty were concerned by a post on the PAO Instagram account that showed participants in a faculty mission to Israel, accusing them of “scholasticide” and telling readers to shame them for their behavior.
PAO's statement on Instagram upon its deregistration stated that the investigation "hinged on baseless allegations of discrimination from faculty members who attended a well-publicized trip to Israel."
The trip, which occurred in early January, involved approximately 30 Penn faculty members meeting with academics, Penn alumni, and political leaders. Several attendees praised their experiences on the trip, while multiple Penn community members were critical of its timing amid the conflict.
The deregistration means that PAO may not use Penn in its name on campus or online. The source said PAO’s Instagram should “discontinue the use of ‘Penn’ in the name and may not refer to itself as representing a student organization at the University of Pennsylvania.” As of April 19, the group had changed its username and title on Instagram — with its name now displayed as "Pxnn Against the Occupation."
The source said that the organization also can no longer apply for funding, reserve space on campus, host meetings, plan events on campus, or use University resources.
The deregistration of PAO comes amid a moment of nationwide heightened tensions on university campuses related to administrative responses to the Israel-Hamas war. On April 25, protestors launched an encampment in front of College Hall.
The encampment’s demands include that the University reinstate PAO and grant amnesty to students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, as well as Penn's divestment from Israel. Several speakers at the encampment criticized the University’s decision to deregister the group and called for its reinstatement.
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