Campus Alert Archive
Dartmouth

90 Arrests in Two Hours on Dartmouth Green: Governor Sununu, Riot Gear, and a 65-Year-Old Professor on the Ground

NHcivil unrestadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of May 1, 2024, a small group of Dartmouth students attempted to erect tents on the Dartmouth Green following the playbook of spring 2024 Gaza encampments at Columbia and beyond. Within approximately two hours of the first tent going up, New Hampshire state troopers in riot gear arrested 90 people, including 65-year-old history professor Annelise Orleck — who was filmed being subdued and zip-tied — and two student journalists for The Dartmouth. The decision to call in state troopers, taken with the support of then-Governor Chris Sununu, was condemned by multiple Dartmouth academic departments within days.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Dartmouth College
Private R1 · NH
~6,761 studentsDartAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

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 Boston Globe's quotation of Dartmouth Provost David Kotz's pre-emptive May 1, 2024 warning email303 chars
Dartmouth's policies prohibit the use of tents and encampments on the Green and other areas of campus. Students, employees, and organizations in violation of Dartmouth policies or local laws will be immediately subject to Dartmouth's disciplinary processes, which could include separation and expulsion.

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

Sent by Provost David Kotz before the encampment was erected, distinguishing Dartmouth's pre-emptive posture from the post-hoc warnings at Columbia and Northeastern
Kotz invoked Dartmouth's Use of the Green Policy and Overnight Use of Campus Grounds and Facilities Policy — institutional policies first established in 2015 and updated regularly
The phrase 'immediately subject to Dartmouth's disciplinary processes' presaged the rapid sweep that began approximately two hours after the first tents went up at 6:48 PM EDT
The pre-emptive framing was modeled on Harvard's April 22, 2024 Yard restriction announcement documented elsewhere in this archive — but Dartmouth, unlike Harvard, followed through with police arrests rather than negotiation
UPDATETwitter/X+6h 30m
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from The Dartmouth's live-updates coverage of the May 1, 2024 sweep259 chars
Dartmouth Safety and Security: An unauthorized encampment has been established on the Green in violation of College policy. New Hampshire State Police and Hanover Police are on scene. Individuals refusing to disperse will be arrested for criminal trespassing.

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

Tents went up at approximately 6:48 PM EDT; 30 state troopers and local police arrived at 8:30 PM EDT and began marching across the Green at 8:45 PM EDT; arrests began around 9:00 PM EDT and more than 70 people had been arrested by 11:35 PM EDT
New Hampshire State Police deployed in riot gear at the request of Dartmouth administration, with then-Governor Chris Sununu's explicit support
The 'criminal trespassing' charge was the standard misdemeanor disposition for all 89 arrestees (The Dartmouth's count) or 90 (most other outlets)
The speed of the arrest decision — roughly two hours from tent-erection to riot-gear arrival, with arrests beginning a half-hour later — was among the fastest of any spring 2024 encampment clearance documented in this archive
FOLLOW-UPEmail+20 h
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from the Valley News reporting on Dartmouth's May 2, 2024 official communication465 chars
Last evening, after individuals erected tents on the Green in violation of established College policy, Dartmouth Safety and Security requested the assistance of the New Hampshire State Police to clear the area. Approximately 90 individuals were arrested for criminal trespassing. The Green is now open. Members of our community who were arrested will be referred to applicable Dartmouth disciplinary processes; non-affiliates are subject to the legal process alone.

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

The 'approximately 90 individuals' figure was the official count; The Dartmouth and VTDigger have variously reported 89 or 90
The 'Green is now open' framing reflected Dartmouth's preference for normalizing campus access quickly, in contrast to Harvard's six-week Yard closure
Multiple Dartmouth departments would issue counter-statements within days, including History, English & Creative Writing, African and African American Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies
Context

Background

The May 1, 2024 Dartmouth Green sweep was among the fastest spring-2024 encampment clearances — approximately two hours from the first tents going up at 6:48 PM EDT to roughly 30 state troopers and local police arriving on the Green at 8:30 PM EDT, with mass arrests beginning around 9:00 PM EDT. The sweep was executed by New Hampshire State Police in riot gear at the request of Dartmouth administration and with the explicit support of then-Governor Chris Sununu. Earlier on May 1, Provost David Kotz had pre-emptively warned the campus that tents on the Green would result in immediate disciplinary action up to and including expulsion, citing Dartmouth's Use of the Green Policy. Approximately 89-90 people were arrested (89 per The Dartmouth's tally, 90 per VTDigger and the Boston Globe), including 65-year-old history professor Annelise Orleck, who was filmed being subdued and zip-tied on the Green, religion professor Christopher MacEvitt, and two student journalists for The Dartmouth. One of the journalists, Alesandra Gonzales, had her trespassing charge dropped by New Hampshire prosecutors on May 7. The aftermath produced unprecedented departmental backlash: the History, English & Creative Writing, African and African American Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies departments issued public statements condemning the police response within days. President Sian Leah Beilock subsequently faced a faculty censure vote that passed narrowly 183-163. The case is significant for this archive because it documents (a) one of the fastest civil-unrest sweeps of spring 2024, (b) the use of state police rather than campus police as the primary arresting force, (c) the arrest of faculty acting in supervisory roles for students, and (d) the institutional choice to treat the encampment as an immediate trespass problem rather than as a disciplinary matter — the opposite end of the spectrum from Harvard's three-week negotiated end documented elsewhere in this archive.
Analysis

Key Findings

Tents went up at 6:48 PM EDT and arrests began around 9:00 PM EDT — roughly two hours from first tent to riot-gear arrests, among the fastest encampment clearances of spring 2024 documented in this archive
65-year-old history professor Annelise Orleck was filmed being subdued and zip-tied on the Green, becoming a national symbol of overpolicing of faculty during the protest wave
Two student journalists from The Dartmouth were arrested while reporting; Alesandra Gonzales had her trespassing charge dropped on May 7, 2024
The decision to call in New Hampshire State Police in riot gear was made with explicit support from then-Governor Chris Sununu — the most overt state-level political involvement in any spring 2024 sweep
Multiple academic departments issued public statements condemning the police response, an unusually rapid and direct departmental rebuke of administration; the faculty later narrowly censured President Beilock 183-163
Dartmouth's pre-emptive warning email from Provost David Kotz modeled Harvard's posture but followed through with arrests rather than negotiation — the institutional choice that distinguished the two responses
Outcome
89-90 people arrested, depending on the source count, primarily charged with criminal trespassing. Among the arrestees: history professor Annelise Orleck, religion professor Christopher MacEvitt (a House Professor responsible for student welfare), and two student journalists for The Dartmouth, including Alesandra Gonzales. New Hampshire prosecutors dropped Gonzales' trespassing charge on May 7, 2024. Multiple Dartmouth departments — History, English & Creative Writing, African and African American Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies — issued statements condemning the police response.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Police arrest 89 individuals at pro-Palestinian protest (The Dartmouth)
    thedartmouth.com
  2. News
    More than 90 protesters arrested at Dartmouth College pro-Palestinian encampment (Boston Globe)
    bostonglobe.com
  3. News
    Police break up pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College, 90 arrested (VTDigger)
    vtdigger.org
  4. News
    Dartmouth administration faces fierce criticism over protest arrests (VTDigger)
    vtdigger.org
  5. Official
    Student journalist arrested while covering protest at Dartmouth College (U.S. Press Freedom Tracker)
    pressfreedomtracker.us
  6. official press release
    The Department of English and Creative Writing Responds to the May 1, 2024 Events (Dartmouth)
    english.dartmouth.edu
  7. News
    Pro-palestinian encampment materializes at Dartmouth (Valley News)
    vnews.com
Tags
civil-unrestgaza-encampmentdartmouth-greennew-hampshire-state-policeriot-gear-arrestsdartmouthivy-leaguenew-hampshirehanoverprivate-r1faculty-arrestedjournalist-arrested
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion