Drizzly day. Palestinian protesters began pulling up their tent stakes on the University of Minnesota after administrators agreed to negotiate demands on severing ties with Israel. Within two hours, the tents were gone.
10 days later, closed academic buildings re-open
MINNEAPOLIS – Protesters against the Israel war on Gaza agreed to end their encampment at the University of Minnesota in exchange for dialogue with university regents on divesting the university’s investments in Israel. Jeff Ettinger, interim university resident, announced the agreement. Campus buildings that were closed as a precaution earlier this week would reopen at noon, Ettinger said. Also, he said that protesters agreed not to disrupt upcoming final exams or commencement ceremonies. The meeting with regents is scheduled is scheduled for May 10. The agreement with protesters included a pledge by the university to lobby the city prosecutor for leniency for protesters arrested last week. Nine people, mostly current or former students, were taken to jail for trespassing by setting up tents on campus without permission.
Verbatim
Ettinger: “While there is more work to do, and conversations are still planned with other student groups affected by the painful situation in Palestine, I am heartened by today’s progress. It grew out of a desire among those involved to reach shared understanding. While we do not condone tactics that are outside of our policies, we appreciate student leaders’ willingness to engage in dialogue. I value the challenging and healthy conversations we’ve had.”
Ettinger. Interim UM chancellor since July. Former Hormel chief executive. Ran for southern Minnesota’s Congressional seat in 2022.
Verbatim
Fae Hodges, pro-Palestinian activist: “The coalition is cautiously optimistic. We are not putting our trust in administration. We are putting our trust in ourselves. And that is why we needed a seat at the table, and we would not leave yesterday’s negotiations without a full promise that we would continue to have our voices heard throughout this process.”
Verbatim
Jewish Community Relations Council: “”The University’s capitulation sends a message that students who violate U of M policy, openly celebrate violence, and shut down campus are rewarded with time before the Regents and ‘regular meetings moving forward’ with the President’s office. By contrast, students targeted by antisemitism are apparently supposed to suffer silently, while their University appeases those very same activists who demonize Jews and Israelis.”
The difficulty of divestment
Although ending their campus encampment, protesters remained adamant that he university identify all its financial connections with Israel. The university, protesters say, has a moral obligation not to profit from entanglements with the Israel regime whose excesses in the Gaza war have killed thousands of civilians. None of this will be easy for the university. It has research and other scholarly research and educational commitments in Israel. Even trickier are financial investents by the university’s global fund-raising arm, the UM Foundation. Many investments are complex through intermediaries. Some are governed by confidentiality covenants. The Foundation’s assets, sometimes called an endowment, total $5.5 billion. For comparison:
> Harvard: $49.5 (largest in nation).
> University of Texas: $44.9 billion (largest among public colleges).
> University of Minnesota: $5.5 billion.
> University of Wisconsin: $3.8 billion.
> Medical College of Wisconsin: $1.7 billon.
> Carleton College: $1.2 billion (largest of Minnesota private colleges).