See You Students for Justice in Palestine (See You SJP), formerly Clark Students for Justice in Palestine, announced on October 4 that they were both changing their name and stepping down from the status of being a Registered Student Organization (RSO). This comes after the organization officially became an RSO in March of last year.

The announcement was made via a post to their Instagram, now renamed @seeyou.sjp. 

“Clark Students for Justice in Palestine is no longer a Registered Student Organization (RSO). Swipe to see why, and what’s next for us,” reads the first slide in bold, green letters.

See You SJP cited the new updates to the Student Code of Conduct and RSO manual as to why they did not want to continue as an official Clark student organization.

“We as club members would be punishable for any pro-Palestine activity on campus that violates the Code of Conduct, even if we had no involvement in or prior knowledge of it,” the post says.

Additionally, See You SJP cites a new policy set out by Clark admin that requires the names of four e-board members as well as ten general members in order to be registered as an RSO.

“This means that 14 people could face disciplinary charges for activities they had no involvement in,” the post reads. “We refuse to hand over the names of our comrades to an administration that has repeatedly made it clear they will only use that information to surveil and repress students.”

The announcement directed readers to a September 4 post for more information on specific code of conduct changes that have affected the decision. 

The most notable change cited is the new ‘Freedom of Expression and Community Values’ policy, which See You SJP alleges “controls when, where and how [students] can express themselves.”

The ‘Freedom of Expressions and Community Values’ clause was originally separate from the Code of Conduct, but is now included. Violations of Clark’s Community Values are now ranked in the same category as assault, harassment and hate crimes according to page 15 of the 2024-2025 Student Code of Conduct Guidebook.

The ‘Freedom of Expression and Community Values’ policy states that “the University may reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of speech and expression; both for public safety, and to ensure that it does not disrupt the ordinary activities of the institution.”

The policy also notes that “The University recognizes that causing discomfort and even causing offense is not, of itself, a basis for limiting free speech.”

In total, the policy allows the University to regulate when, where and how students express themselves if the school deems it disruptive.

See You SJP notes in the post that “In the past, Clark University has used this ‘Community Values’ policy to target students for pro-Palestine speech such as dorm room signs, social media posts, and writing on public whiteboards,” noting that changing the policy to be included in the Code of Conduct now allows such actions to be a punishable offense. The referenced whiteboard incident is chronicled in detail in a February 23 article in The Scarlet.

To finish, the post encourages students to “be creative, be brave, be careful,” citing avenues of action such as continuing to pressure Clark University administration to divest from Israel, making club purchases in line with Palestine Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) standards and hosting events about Palestine through already existing organizations.

It is currently unclear whether or not the Clark administration will respond to these statements. 

The post is quick to note that this will not be the end of Clark SJP. 

“We are still Clark students horrified by our institution’s active participation in the genocide of the Palestinian people,” the post says. 

The organization will now be renamed See You SJP, removing the ‘Clark’ from the name as Clark bars organizations not officially recognized by them from using the University’s name. This decision allows the group to continue its operations, despite not being directly affiliated with the school. 

See You Students for Justice in Palestine was reached out to for comment via Instagram but did not respond.