The Motley Coffeehouse removed its flag displays on Nov. 13, announcing the decision in a same-day Instagram post. The post, which highlights the Palestinian and Ukrainian flags’ removal, cites a Nov. 10 email from Scripps College as the reason behind the change.
The post said that the email from Scripps gave the coffeehouse two options: to keep the Palestinian flag displayed and additionally display the American and Israeli flags at the same “size” and “prominence,” or to remove all flag displays. The post does not specify which administrator or office the email came from.
The Motley then noted that “neither option aligns with our mission statement or community consensus. However, jobs are at risk if we do not comply with the decorations policy.” The coffeehouse stated that 90% of staff voted to remove all flags rather than to “put up flags that do not align with [The Motley’s] mission statement.”
The Palestinian and Ukrainian flags were hung in The Motley — which is student-run and college-owned — earlier this semester. The Motley’s post stated that the flags were placed in accordance with the coffeehouse’s decorations policy and mission statement.
“Thus far, the college has only used its decision making authority over The Motley Coffeehouse when issues regarding Palestinian speech arise,” The Motley’s student co-heads wrote in a statement to TSL. “The Palestinian exception is not new to The Motley, unique to Scripps College, nor abnormal in domestic and international conversations.”
The current decoration policy, co-authored with Scripps administrators, received authorization from President Amy Marcus-Newhall in February 2026. Its policy guidelines section states that “the walls of The Motley (barring the blackboard) are intended to reflect the coffeeshop’s commitment to intersectional feminism, community engagement, and artistic expression.”
The policy follows over two years of tensions rooted in display policy between The Motley and the Scripps administration, largely focused on the Palestinian flag.
The decoration policy further states that “In the event Scripps College interprets Motley wall decorations as violating the College’s policies, Guide to Student Life, Code of Conduct, or is deemed to place the College at legal risk, the College will notify the Motley Staff of the violation,” and provide relevant details including which decor items are in violation, the nature of the violation and the specific changes that the college requests.
The decoration policy states that changes or removals are to be collectively discussed, and then agreed upon by over 50% of The Motley’s baristas and management team “with the Motley’s mission statement and values in mind.”
Scripps College could not provide comment in the provided timeframe.
This is breaking news. TSL is working on developing this story; please reach out to editor@tsl.news with any information or insight.
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