Hardly 12 hours after police in riot gear broke up demonstrations, including the occupation of a school building, at Columbia University in Manhattan, students at the State University of New York at New Paltz set up their own encampment in the middle of that campus.

Students called on the school to divest from their contract with Siemens, a company that has contracts with Israel. A spokesperson for the school said that Siemens provides services related to intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems on campus.

School President Darrell Wheeler spoke with students, asking them to take down tents but not calling for them to move. Students refused, asking the president to take their concerns with Siemens to SUNY leadership.

“We saw what was happening in Columbia and we were like, we have to act," said Rae Ferrara, a SUNY New Paltz student. "And actually, it really sparked because last week we had a different rally where the university forced us off our campus. They told us we couldn't organize here, and they threatened to hit us all with academic suspension or consequences if we didn't."

A university spokesperson said Wednesday that a small unsanctioned group, including some SUNY New Paltz students, set up tents and other temporary structures on campus grounds, in violation of policies outlined in the university's Student Handbook.

"President Darrell P. Wheeler spoke to the demonstrators on site, listened to their concerns, and advised them that their actions – specifically the presence of the tents – constituted conduct violations," the spokesperson said in a statement. "He expressed an intention to maintain an open dialogue and to promote a path of de-escalation. The University will not tolerate any hatred, bigotry, racism, intolerance, antisemitism, Islamophobia or violence on our campus and will take necessary actions to ensure a safe and successful conclusion to our academic year."