Â鶹ÊÓƵ two dozen tents were removed from Norlin Quadrangle at the University of Colorado at Boulder early today by inhabitants of the "Peace Camp/Shanty Town Project."
The tents had been erected more than a week ago, in violation of campus policies on the use of university facilities.
At about 6 a.m. today, university officials and campus police notified the campers that the group's request for a policy waiver had been denied, as recommended by the Committee on Use of University Facilities (CUUF) and affirmed by Chancellor Richard L. Byyny. The group was asked to vacate the premises immediately.
The campers cooperated with police by voluntarily removing the tents and belongings. No arrests were made, and all items were removed by about 9 a.m. The university provided trucks for relocating possessions and disposing of unwanted articles.
Representatives of the "Peace Camp/Shanty Town Project" had requested a policy waiver last week that would allow tent camping on Norlin Quadrangle for an indefinite length of time.
In response to the request for a waiver, CUUF raised questions concerning sanitation, personal safety, property safety, the number and affiliation of participants and identity of persons with on-site responsibilities. The campus fire marshal also raised concerns about fire hazards. As of April 21, the group had not provided answers to the questions.
In the past eight days, the numbers of tents had grown to about 24, with an unknown number of inhabitants. It is not known how many of the inhabitants in recent days were CU-Boulder students.
Requests to camp on campus are routinely discouraged for health and safety reasons. Exceptions have been made for large community events supported by the Boulder campus and occurring on East Campus or Williams Village.