Columbia University’s president’s negotiations with pro-Palestinian students who camped on campus two weeks ago have ended in a “wreck” and are now being asked to disband voluntarily, without the university saying what will happen if they don’t. they do.
“We are pressuring those who have camped to disperse voluntarily. We are considering alternatives internally to bring an end to this crisis as quickly as possible,” Columbia president Nemat Minous Shafik wrote in a lengthy statement.
Shafiq, whose administration was criticized by a university oversight committee on Friday for its handling of the protests, announced that organizers and heads of the academic institution had been unable to reach an agreement that could end the impasse. for the protest, which according to the presidency, violates university regulations.
She said Columbia would not divest from Israel, a key demand of the protesters, but the school offered to invest in the health and education sectors in Gaza and improve the transparency of Columbia’s direct investment holdings.
The protesters vowed to maintain their encampment until three demands were met: the transfer, transparency in Columbia’s finances, and amnesty for students and staff punished for their participation in the protests.
Shafiq was heavily criticized by many students, staff members and outside observers for calling the NYPD to clear the camp, resulting in more than 100 arrests. Efforts to remove the encampment, which students set up again in the days after the April 18 police crackdown, sparked similar protests at universities from California to Boston.
Last week, two deadlines that Columbia had set for protesters to remove their tents expired without an agreement. It is unclear what the university might do now that it has announced that the talks have not been successful.
The organizers of the student protest were not immediately available for comment on Shafiq’s announcement, and a university spokesperson said the administration would have no further comment.
Source: RES
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