Brown protesters disband camp after reaching agreement with university
Brown University reached an agreement with student organizers on Tuesday to disband the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus through the end of the school year and to bring their divestment demands to a vote later in the year.
The big picture: The Ivy League school's successful deal, which should allow for commencement to take place as planned, comes as a stark contrast to negotiations at other universities, including Columbia, where student protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war are reaching a boiling point.
Zoom in: Students agreed to end the encampment by Tuesday evening and to "refrain from further actions that would violate Brown's conduct code through the end of the academic year," including during events like commencement and reunion weekend, the university said.
In return, the students will be allowed to meet with the university's governing body in May to present their argument for divesting Brown's endowment from "companies enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza," per the agreement. The matter will be brought to a vote in October.
What they're saying: University President Christina H. Paxson said in a message to the campus community that while "Brown has always prided itself on resolving differences through dialog, debate and listening to each other," she does not condone the encampment as it violates university policies.
"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," Paxton wrote. "I appreciate the sincere efforts on the part of our students to take steps to prevent further escalation."
Zoom out: Northwestern University also reached an agreement with student protesters on Monday to remove tents from campus. However, protests that adhere to university policies are allowed to continue.
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