At many colleges across the country, administrators and police have cracked down on groups of pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up encampments on campus and occupied campus buildings. 

At college campuses here in the Chicago area, the scenes so far have been heated, but still noticeably less chaotic than those at other universities. 

“As long as they’re being respectful of the space, as far as I can tell the police are staying hands off,” said WBEZ higher education reporter Lisa Kurian Philip, who’s been visiting protests at both Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. “That’s so different from what we’ve seen at Emory, [and UCLA], and what just happened in Columbia, with riot police being sent in the middle of the night to clear out students. It’s a very, very different situation.” 

On this episode of the Rundown, Kurian Philip talks with host Erin Allen about what’s happening locally, what protesters are demanding and how administrations and others are responding.