Brown has made a deal
Brown President Christina H. Paxson shared details
on the agreement in an April 30 campus
message.
“The devastation and loss of life in the Middle East has prompted many to call for meaningful change, while also raising real issues about how best to accomplish this,” Paxson wrote.
“Brown has always prided
itself on resolving differences through dialog, debate and listening to each
other. I cannot condone the encampment, which was in violation of University
policies. Also, I have been concerned about the escalation in inflammatory
rhetoric that we have seen recently, and the increase in tensions at campuses
across the country. I appreciate the sincere efforts on the part of our
students to take steps to prevent further escalation.”
Students agreed to end the encampment and refrain from
further actions that would violate Brown’s conduct code through the end of the
academic year, which includes Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
The University agreed that five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to present their arguments to divest Brown’s endowment from “companies enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza.”
In addition, Paxson will ask
the Advisory
Committee on University Resources Management to provide a
recommendation on the matter of divestment by Sept. 30, and this will be
brought to the Corporation for a vote at its October 2024 meeting.
Another provision of the agreement relates to the
application of Brown’s conduct code to students involved in the encampment. The
establishment of tents and other related activities have violated a range of
policies, and while Brown will continue to follow its conduct processes related
to unauthorized activities, University leaders agreed that ending the
encampment will be viewed favorably in disciplinary proceedings.
The agreement also makes clear that reports of bias,
harassment or discrimination received during the encampment will continue to be
investigated. In addition, if the University receives new information about any
conduct violations related to or following the encampment, students won’t be
exempt from conduct proceedings for those violations.
The full letter from Paxson to the campus community is included below.
******
Dear Members of the Brown Community,
Many of us have watched with deep concern the tensions
and divisions that have escalated across the country as colleges and
universities have experienced intense confrontations at protests and
encampments over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Brown has not experienced the heightened hostilities we
have seen nationally, and I am writing to share that we’ll see a peaceful end
to the unauthorized encampment that was set up April 24, 2024, on the College
Green. After productive discussions between members of the Brown University
administration and student leaders of the Brown Divest Coalition, we have
reached an agreement that will end the encampment by 5 p.m. today.
The agreement itself, which has been signed by students
who represent the Brown Divest Coalition, is posted publicly online. In broad
terms, the students have agreed to remove the encampment and refrain from
further actions that would violate the Code of Student Conduct through the end
of this academic year, including through Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
The University has agreed that a group of five students
will be invited to meet with a group of five members of the Corporation of
Brown University while trustees and fellows are on campus for the May
Corporation meeting. The meeting responds to the students’ interest to be heard
on the issue of “divestment from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
Territory,” which was a core demand of their protest action. It is important to
note that this topic will not be on the Corporation’s business agenda, and there
will not be a vote on divestment at the May meeting.
The students and administration agreed that I will ask
the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management (ACURM) to provide me
with a recommendation on the matter of divestment by September 30, 2024, and
this will be brought to the Corporation for a vote at the October 2024
Corporation meeting. Consideration by ACURM is a long-standing prerequisite for
Corporation consideration of divestment requests.
Any member of the Brown community can request that the
University divest the Brown endowment from the assets of specific companies by
submitting a proposal to ACURM (formerly known as the Advisory Committee on
Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices, or ACCRIP). The committee,
which includes faculty, students, staff and alumni, is charged with making
recommendations to the president, who may take recommendations to the
Corporation of Brown University. I have committed to bring the matter of divestment
to the Corporation, regardless of ACURM’s recommendation. I feel strongly that
a vote in October, either for or against divestment, will bring clarity to an
issue that is of long-standing interest to many members of our community.
The final major provision of the agreement relates to the
application of our Code of Student Conduct to students who have been involved
in the encampment and associated activities. Since April 24, the establishment
of tents and other related activities have violated a range of Brown University
policies. We will continue to follow our conduct processes related to the
unauthorized activities. However, we have agreed that ending the encampment
today will be viewed favorably in disciplinary proceedings.
Students who have been charged with involvement in the
encampment and associated activities that violate our conduct codes will not be
subject to suspension or expulsion, provided they abide by the terms of the
agreement. However, the agreement makes clear that reports of bias, harassment
or discrimination must continue to be investigated by the appropriate offices.
In addition, if the University receives new information about any conduct
violations related to or following the encampment, students won’t be exempt
from conduct proceedings for those violations.
These terms were reached after I wrote yesterday to the
students identified as participants in the encampment to offer the meeting with
members of the Corporation. Members of the administration and the student
representatives met both yesterday and today to formalize the agreement, which
has been signed by the University and the Coalition representatives.
I hope the meeting between the students and Corporation
members will allow for a full and frank exchange of views. As I shared with the
protesting students in my letter yesterday, the devastation and loss of life in
the Middle East has prompted many to call for meaningful change, while also
raising real issues about how best to accomplish this. Brown has always prided
itself on resolving differences through dialog, debate and listening to each
other.
I cannot condone the encampment, which was in violation
of University policies. Also, I have been concerned about the escalation in
inflammatory rhetoric that we have seen recently, and the increase in tensions
at campuses across the country. I appreciate the sincere efforts on the part of
our students to take steps to prevent further escalation.
During these challenging times, we continue to be guided
by our mission of advancing knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free
inquiry within a caring and compassionate community. We remain focused on four
major priorities: (1) protecting the safety of our community; (2) fostering
open and respectful learning environments; (3) providing care and empathy to
affected members of our community; and (4) taking the strongest possible stance
against any form of discrimination, harassment and racism against any race or
ethnic group.
Even with this agreement, there remain many differences
within our community about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These differences
have been heightened in the months since October 7. And, I know that we will
continue to have — and express — a broad range of conflicting beliefs and
opinions about the situation in the Middle East, and the University’s response
to it.
But, as I have emphasized before, universities were built
to hold disagreement and grapple with competing views. This is an essential
part of our mission of advancing knowledge and understanding. I am confident
that the Brown community can live up to the values of support for free
expression within an open and respectful learning community.
I wish all of our faculty, students and staff well as we
come to the end of the spring semester and prepare for Commencement and Reunion
Weekend, and I look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students and
welcoming our graduates to the community of Brown alumni.
Sincerely,
Christina H. Paxson
President
