Pro-Palestinian University of Oregon Students are Given Two Days to Dismantle Campus Encampment

EUGENE, Ore. — Amid rising tensions, pro-Palestine protestors at the University of Oregon (UO) have been given two days in which to agree to a time and date to stop camping overnight and to dismantle their campus encampment.

The students, members of an organization they call the Pro-Palestinian Coalition, have been protesting for the last 11 days and on Tuesday marched on Johnson Hall, repeating the seven demands they made on May 2.

UO President Says Appropriate Measures Will be Taken Because Protestors Have Ignored Campus Policies

The UO president, Karl Scholz, says the university will move forward to respond appropriately to student conduct because they have failed to remove their encampment or to adhere to campus policies.

In a statement, Scholz says he had hoped that through ongoing dialogue, encampment decision-makers would be convinced to adhere to campus safety and protection policies, and peacefully remove the encampment. He said because students have failed “to stop camping on the premises overnight, the university will go ahead “with the student conduct process related to violations of campus policy.”

Immediate Action Needed to Resolve 11-day Ongoing Protests

While the University of Oregon is willing to engage in productive negotiations, it requires immediate action to resolve the 11-day ongoing protest by students calling themselves members of the Pro-Palestinian Coalition.

In a statement, the UO calls for the dismantling of the student encampment on campus premises, adding that it will instead concede to a designated gathering space during daylight hours via an officially recognized student group.

The statement reiterates that the UO is unwavering in its commitment to academic freedom, intellectual discourse, and creative expression. However, while members of the UO community are free and entitled to express their individual political views, as an institution dedicated to education, it cannot take sides on political issues that have no direct association with UO operations. “This is essential to fostering the climate of free speech that is central to the university’s purpose,” the statement continues.

Concessions to Student Demands

The protesting students have made seven demands, to which the UO has responded in full. The UO has agreed to expand education on the Middle East and on the Palestine-Israel conflict by creating a visiting scholar program. This will involve inviting prominent academics who are involved with the realities and cultural, economic, historic, and social contexts of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Furthermore, the university will increase its resources for public educational events to teach the value of civil discourse, empathy, and the mutual respect of multiple perspectives.

Contentious Demands Will Not Be Met

Among them are contentious demands such as cutting ties with specified Israeli universities, demands that the university calls for a ceasefire, and a divestment from the UO’s Foundation, all of which have been dismissed.

Cutting ties with Israeli universities

The UO says demands that it cut ties with specific Israeli universities is antithetical to its global engagement and education mission as it reduces the capacity to study and understand the contemporary Middle East ‘at a time when greater knowledge it vital.’ Instead, the UO will expand its exchange opportunities in the parts of the Middle East where it has no ties or programs.

It will also maintain existing links with partners in the region who share teaching, learning, and evidence-based research across multiple perspectives.

Demands that UO calls for a ceasefire

UO believes that the request to release a statement supporting a ceasefire in Gaza will go against the view that the university remains impartial on political issues.

Divestment from the UO Foundation

The UO Foundation will not divest from Jasper Ridge as it finances scholarships, student aid and housing, teaching facilities, research laboratories, and the faculty.

However, once protestors remove the encampment, five students selected by the Pro-Palestinian Coalition can meet with the president and CEO of the University of Oregon Foundation, the UO’s vice-president of finance and administration, and President Scholz to allow students to air their views on investment and divestment.

Boycott

UO has dismissed a call by students for it to boycott companies listed on a website expressing concerns about their contracting partners. The university says it endeavors to obtain the best value for its contracts, with specific outreach to local businesses owned by women and minority groups.

Conduct Code violations

The UO’s offer to forgo student conduct code violations if protestors stopped camping on campus property overnight expired at noon on Tuesday, May 7. The UO cited disruptive impact on academic operations and continued adverse experience by a significant number of students.

However, the UO will not pursue conduction code violations such as suspension, expulsion, eviction, or revocation of degree if the students agree to dismantle the encampment and operate from an agreed daytime venue.

The statement says the university hopes that by responding to the demands, it will establish a better understanding of its position and emphasizes its willingness to continue productive engagement.