Several universities struck agreements with pro-Palestinian demonstrators to end disruptive encampments on their campuses. But some of those agreements are already under fire.
At the University of California, Berkeley, student activists got their president to agree to support a cease-fire in Gaza. At Rutgers University, they won a promise of scholarships for 10 Palestinian students displaced by the war. Brown University pledged that its board of trustees would vote on divesting from Israel.
As protests over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza have roiled college campuses across the country, dozens of universities have moved to shut down encampments and arrest demonstrators. But more than a dozen institutions have struck agreements with protesters over the past few weeks that effectively conceded to some of their demands.
None of them offer outright pledges to end the billions of dollars that college endowments have invested in companies that are said to support Israel’s occupation, a key demand of most of the protesters; some offer little more than amnesty for students suspended as a result of the protests or vague pledges to widen the curriculum in Palestinian studies.
But already, the agreements have come under criticism both from other student activists, who say that not enough concessions were extracted, and from conservatives and Jewish advocacy groups, who complain that they are rewarding students who disrupted campuses and violated university policies.
The agreement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which included a call for a cease-fire in Gaza and a promise not to punish students involved with the encampment, “sets a dangerous precedent for future incidents on campus,” local Jewish advocacy groups said in a statement.
One university president, Mike Lee, of Sonoma State University, even found himself in trouble with his bosses after he promised protesters on Tuesday an academic boycott of Israel, a concession that no other deal included. The next day, Mildred Garcia, the chancellor of the California State University, which Sonoma State is part of, called the agreement “insubordination” and announced that Mr. Lee was on leave.
Disclosure and Divestment
The UWM Foundation leadership has agreed to meet with up to four students identified by UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition after the encampment comes down on Tuesday, May 14, to discuss your concerns and requests. UWM administrators will attend and ensure that students will be given the opportunity to express their requests for disclosure and divestment. This offer is in addition to the UWM Foundation financial statements provided to you, as well as our information about UWM’s request to the Foundation Board to review its investments in funds that include weapons manufacturers.
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
6. AMNESTY. We have recommended to UMPD that they not arrest or charge anyone for a criminal offense based on activities of the past few days if the encampment is removed tonight without incident, and UMPD has confirmed that this is acceptable. Further, we will agree to not pursue University disciplinary action against any students or employees for participating in the encampment of the past few days.
University of Minnesota
3. Inclusivity
• The University will support visiting Palestinian faculty and students at risk (funding two faculty per year for two years; and providing full cost of attendance for five Palestinian undergraduates to attend Northwestern for the duration of their undergraduate careers). The University commits to fundraise to sustain this program beyond this current commitment.
Northwestern University
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Make a Statement
The college will make a statement defending speech rights of students and others, including those doing Palestinian solidarity work. The FULL statement be reviewed by negotiators and a faculty representative before it is released.
Evergreen State College
“Like many, I am horrified and grief-stricken by the violence and suffering being inflicted due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I wish to see an end to the violence and restoration of international law, including respect for the March 25 United National resolution. Specifically, the resolution called for a lasting, sustainable ceasefire honored by all parties, immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, expanded humanitarian assistance, and the protection of civilians. Additionally, I mourn the destruction of universities and hospitals, the killing of journalists, and want to see the release of any prisoner being held without due process.”
The statement will include an acknowledgment of the ICJ’s genocide investigation and comments about US weaponry.
Evergreen State College
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
