Oregon State University officials will “hold participants accountable” if the ongoing encampment remains after Monday, OSU officials said in an online response on Thursday.
The encampment, assembled by the Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, has been located in the Memorial Union Quad since Wednesday morning.
The document was addressed to OSU Palestine Solidarity Coalition members. It came following calls for the university to divest from organizations with ties to Israel.
In their response, the statement said that if the encampment remains after Monday or if “conditions change in ways that are detrimental to the university community,” the university will “(use) methods available to us to hold participants accountable for violations of policy under the student conduct code and criminal statutes.”
University officials allege the encampment “presents significant challenges” to maintaining public safety, and has led to the cancellation of planned events, including events with “paid reservations and non-refundable contracts.”
“While you may view this as a necessary inconvenience to advance your cause, this is not the view of the university, which has an obligation to support the programming of all OSU students within university policy,” the document states.
The response also lays out the university’s planned actions in response to “the events in Gaza,” including financial plans.
The financial plans discussed include the creation of a Task Force for Responsible Investing and a Task Force for Responsible Procurement.
The document does not say if the university has any plans related to divestment.
Additional plans include the creation of courses and curricula, developing and publishing a “library guide” and support for a university fundraising effort for the Red Cross.
“We fully support the free expression rights of those at the encampment and have consistently provided advice and counsel on how to exercise these rights effectively and safely within the broad allowances of university policy,” the document states. “We will continue to support these rights. However … the overnight encampment must end.”
(actually) keep students safe • May 18, 2024 at 8:44 pm
I am a first-year student here at the university. Although I am not a part of the encampment, I fully support the encampment and the students right to protest peacefully. I would be extremely ashamed if the university were to forcefully clear the encampment on Monday night. They say, “OSU commits to providing for the safety and security of everyone on its campuses” and that “overnight encampment presents significant challenges to our ability to meet this commitment adequately or consistently”. I live on campus near the encampment, and I do not believe it threatens any aspect whatsoever of my safety or security on campus. In fact, I think the conflict that would arise with escalation from authorities would make me feel more unsafe than any encampment.
Additionally, I am aware that dam jam was canceled because of the encampment. I do not care. Students protesting to make a positive change in the world, to protect civilians, will always be more important than a concert.
I am on the start of my college journey and am still growing into understanding what concrete changes can be made by OSU to decrease human suffering. But the brave, educated students leading the encampment have specific ideas and I highly highly suggest the university works with them and takes their concerns seriously rather than punishing the students. When we look back onto OSU’s history, we want to be remembered as a university who takes the concerns on students seriously.