Less than a year after departing Emerson for an administrative position at Bowdoin College in Maine, Jim Hoppe finds himself at the center of the first student pro-Palestine encampment in 2025.
Fifteen students affiliated with Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine formed an encampment inside of Smith Union, a campus building, on Feb. 7 as a direct response to Bowdoin’s investment practices and President Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding his plan for U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip.
Hoppe, a senior vice president and dean of student affairs, was reported to be at the encampment several times to liaise with the students and coordinate disciplinary actions—including temporary suspensions, according to The Bowdoin Orient.
The encampment disbanded four days later, on Feb. 11, after an “agreement with the college” was reached, the details of which have not yet been made public.
According to reporting by The Bowdoin Orient, the conversations between the administrators and the protesters did not result in divestment nor in agreement to the Bowdoin Solidarity Referendum, a main demand that would establish “a public, institutional stand against the Israeli government’s ongoing scholasticide [a mass destruction of a place’s education infrastructure] in Gaza.” The group, however, is hopeful for continued discussion.
This is the second encampment Hoppe, who held the same position at Emerson during his near-decade tenure in Boston, has been confronted with. His response, however, looks completely different. Hoppe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
During Emerson’s encampment last spring, which resulted in the arrest of 118 protesters in the 2 Boylston Place alley, Beacon staff saw him speaking with faculty shortly before arrests began and talking to students who remained inside the 2 Boylston Place lobby, advising them to leave and go to the precincts where those arrested were taken. Along with other administrators, Hoppe was criticized by students throughout the encampment for not protecting students against arrest.
During the Emerson encampment, Hoppe’s interactions with students mainly resided in email sign-offs on “presidential communications” sent out to students, most of which explained the state of the encampment and reiterated that the alleyway was considered a public right of way. After the arrests, Hoppe sent out several emails regarding mental health resources as well as information regarding the collection of items left behind in the alleyway, but was not seen in person.
He has been considerably more active in his new role at Bowdoin. According to The Orient, Hoppe was in communication with the protesters throughout the three days that the encampment was active.
The administrator offered to negotiate with Bowdoin SJP spokesperson Olivia Kenney, who rejected the offer in favor of hosting collective negotiations with all those involved, The Orient reported. That day Smith Union was put on lockdown by campus security; Hoppe wrote in an email that it was against campus policy for the building to be occupied.
“While we support students’ right to express their views, it is essential to note that college policy prohibits activities that disrupt the normal operations of the College,” the statement, first reported by The Orient, read. “Smith Union is a shared space meant to be accessible to all members of our campus community, and no group or individual can restrict access to it.”
On Monday, Hoppe hand-delivered signed letters of immediate temporary suspension to those participating in the encampment and news that further disciplinary action would come to those who remained past 5 p.m., according to The Orient. The final agreement was reached around 5:30 p.m., but information on the outcome of this disciplinary action is not yet available.
The response to the Bowdoin encampment on a national level remains uncertain amid the current political landscape. President Trump signed an order laying the groundwork to deport international students who participate in encampments, according to critics.
Further, the current ceasefire deal in Gaza remains fragile. At a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump suggested that the ceasefire could end if not all of the hostages are released by Hamas by Feb. 15. Prior to the ceasefire, the conflict resulted in the deaths of an estimated 46,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at the hands of the Israeli military, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. An estimated 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.At the meeting, Trump discussed his plan to take control of the Gaza Strip and move its population of two million to other countries—which would include Jordan. King Abdullah II emphasized the need for an Arab-led plan for postwar Gaza, but did offer to accept 2,000 sick Palestinian children.
