IEB to be renamed “Martyr Complex” in Remembrance of Trauma Suffered After May 2024 Occupation

Two years ago, after peaceful protests failed to garner any results regarding the UW’s complicity with the genocide in Gaza, 33 student protesters took over the Intramural Engineering Building. The IEB, a newly built engineering building, was partially funded by Boeing and other corporations involved with Israel’s actions in Gaza. 

The student protesters entered the building and destroyed the expensive equipment inside, leaving behind a few (surprisingly tastefully) drawn images of Harry the Husky getting spit-roasted by Benjamin Netanyahu and a Boeing 737 on the walls. A garbage bin was also set on fire, which was condemned by many on r/udub. 

UW decided to take the old George W. Bush strategy and jailed the student protesters without a trial, citing that they ‘don’t negotiate with terrorists.’ The prisoners underwent extensive torture, including having to listen to the 2018 Israeli Eurovision song “Toy” on repeat for days at a time. 

Despite the heroic and possibly illegal efforts of UW, the 33 students will soon be released and charges dropped. Who knows what chaos these art history and gender studies majors will wreak with their newfound freedom? This is Biden’s America. 

This decision has caused ripples of agitation across the student body, specifically among engineering majors. After the IEB was occupied, several students claimed to have been horribly traumatized despite not being present.  

Several students on campus have spoken up against the protesters’ actions, citing that the equipment damaged would be costly to replace, and that it harmed the students instead of Boeing. However, while the equipment was being used by engineering students of all disciplines, it was also being used to train the next generation of weapons manufacturers. This includes students involved in engineering clubs such as SARP (Society for Advanced Rocket Propulsion), which works on projects such as “domecracker” and “cherry bomb”.

“I get that like, babies or whatever are starving, but have those babies ever thought about my career prospects?” SARP club president Genie Cide claims he has faced serious issues after protesters damaged equipment. 

Other students still feel unsafe on campus. “It’s scary to know that those dangerous criminals are out there.” Remarked Tella Aviva, an engineering student who interned for Lockheed Martin this summer. She has been in intensive therapy for the past two years, citing a mental breakdown after finding out exactly how much monetary damage was done to the facility. 

To get opinions from other student communities, we interviewed students at Gasworks Park on the Fourth of July. “I don’t take sides, but I think violence is never justified,” says a student wearing a ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ hat.

The release of the protestors has retraumatized engineering students who lived through the original occupation. They have come together to form ‘survivor’ communities to help each other heal after seeing pictures of a broken window and burning dumpsters on Reddit.

Some students have been so affected that the phrase ‘Free Palestine’ sends them into violent panic attacks, which can only be cured by waving a crisp $20 bill (or an internship offer from Boeing) under their nose. 

The occupation has given those dastardly human rights activists exactly what they wanted: less involvement of Boeing at UW. Many engineering students are upset by the loss of opportunities and funding. 

In remembrance of the lost revenue, the University of Washington has promised to construct a brand-new engineering building: The Martyr Complex.