The Daily Emerald is providing live coverage of the University of Oregon’s pro-Palestine encampment, which began on April 29 at 7 a.m. All of our coverage on the encampment can be found here.
Below is the Emerald’s coverage of May 6, the eighth day of the encampment.
The eighth day of the UO Coalition for Palestine encampment ended in a fragile peace, as major movements in the coalition’s ongoing negotiations with UO administrators led to a 10:30 a.m. rally announced for tomorrow in front of Lillis Hall. The day also saw statements from Interim Vice President for Student Life Kris Winter, Ducks for Israel, and Jewish organizations from around Oregon and on campus.
The encampment also wrapped up a third consecutive day of consistent rainfall, making events in the camp quieter than previous days, but nonetheless stable with roughly 140 tents standing on the Memorial Quad.
Today’s events took place amid several major developments in the war in Gaza. Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal proposed by mediators — though talks continue as Israel said the deal fell short of their demands. Meanwhile, Israel ordered parts of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border with over 1 million Gazan residents, to evacuate ahead of potential military strikes on the city.
Winter’s 10:58 a.m. email to students said that the university’s “chief concern” was the physical safety and well-being of “the community” and that the university has provided the encampment with UO policies “of which they are in violation and created an avenue for communicating with the administration.
Nearly two hours later, multiple Jewish organizations, including Ducks for Israel and Oregon Hillel, released an email statement condemning the encampment to UO President John Karl Scholz and the UO Board of Trustees.
“Seeing that the university has failed to disperse the encampment for a week as of today, we are writing this letter to demand the University of Oregon to enforce its own policies immediately and protect Jewish and Israeli students,” the email stated.
The email further stated that calls for “intifada, from the river to the sea, and violent uprisings” are “not acceptable,” leave “Jewish Ducks feeling unsafe and welcome” and “cross the free speech line.”
Negotiations between UO administration and coalition negotiators continued, though not in a direction student negotiators were happy with.
According to an 4:30 p.m. press release from student organizers, later posted on Instagram by organizations involved in the coalition, UO administrators have allegedly “threatened to revoke academic amnesty for all protesters starting tomorrow at noon,” while declining to support divestment or issue a statement condemning Israeli military actions in Gaza. The university also allegedly proposed expanding academic exchanges with Israeli universities, running directly counter to one of the protesters’ demands.
Per the release, the university had agreed to educate faculty during hiring and onboarding processes “regarding the Israeli and military-industrial investments implicated in faculty retirement plans,” as well as expand “education on the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict.”
A document given to negotiators for the encampment says that UO’s administration has “offered to forego pursuit of student conduct code charges against those in the encampment” if overnight camping ends at 12 p.m. Tuesday, and “if recognized student groups reserve space for further gathering during daytime hours.
Amid the new developments in Gaza and in negotiations with the university, student demonstrators announced a rally at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow in front of Lillis Hall.
The university has declined to comment on ongoing negotiations or the veracity of the claims.
Read below for the day’s live updates.
Updated 7:15 p.m.
Members of the encampment attended a mandatory general meeting that began at 5:30 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m., the encampment began its “Know Your Rights Training” by the Civil Liberties Defense Center. Roughly 30 people were in attendance.
Lillis will close early at 8 p.m. UO spokesperson Angela Seydel said that each building’s hours may vary daily “for security.”
Updated 4:41 p.m.
UO administrators have allegedly “threatened to revoke academic amnesty for all protesters starting tomorrow at noon,” while declining to support divestment or issue a statement condemning Israeli military actions in Gaza, spokespersons for the encampment said in a press release.
According to the release, a document given to negotiators for the encampment says that UO’s administration has “offered to forego pursuit of student conduct code charges against those in the encampment” if overnight camping ends at 12 p.m. Tuesday, and “if recognized student groups reserve space for further gathering during daytime hours through appropriate channels.”
A university spokesperson declined to confirm these details.
The press release also provided updates on the ongoing negotiations between the university and student demonstrators, including the following responses to protesters’ demands:
— Administrators have agreed to “distribute education and resources to faculty during hiring and onboarding regarding the Israeli and military-industrial investments implicated in faculty retirement plans.”
— Administrators have offered to “expand academic relationships with Israeli universities as well as those of other Middle Eastern countries,” against protesters’ demands to cease academic exchanges with Israeli universities.
— Administrators have proposed “expanding education on the Middle East and on the Israel-Palestine conflict,” including developing “a concept paper for a Middle East Center at UO.”
The release also stated the university declared “‘no’ to any form of divestment” and would not issue “a statement condemning the US-Israeli genocidal campaign being waged against Palestinians.”
The statement said that, in light of past divestments, including from fossil fuels in 2016 and from South Africa during apartheid, as well as statements condemning Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War, it is “unconscionable” that the university “cannot call for an end to well-documented war crimes under international law.”
Students in the encampment will hold a rally outside of Lillis Hall at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow to “condemn the university’s threat of repression against students.”
UO spokesperson Angela Seydel said that any response to the statement made by Ducks for Israel and various Oregon Jewish organizations earlier today condemning the encampment would be made to those organizations first. Instead, she referred to Interim Vice President for Student Life Kris Winter’s statement earlier in the day.
In it, Winter said that she and her team have met personally with Jewish students, parents and family members, as well as leadership of Oregon Hillel and Chabad of Eugene. She also indicated that “this type of challenging speech, even that which may be considered hate speech, is generally protected by the Oregon and U.S. Constitutions” and condemned “antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, anti-Palestinian hatred, and other forms of intimidation.”
Updated 3:39 p.m.
At 3:25 p.m., the Students for Justice in Palestine and the Working Committee of Grads for Palestine posted on Instagram two updated changes in the Coalition for Palestine’s encampment schedule for today.
One of the changes in the schedule for today was an added event from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. titled, “Be in Camp, Help Out!”
Another update was that the encampment’s “town hall” general meeting is now mandatory for all students and campers involved in the Coalition for Palestine.
Updated 1:33 p.m.
Ducks for Israel and Jewish organizations including Oregon Hillel, Chabad of Eugene and the Jewish Federation of Lane County have released a statement condemning the UO encampment.
The statement, included in a 1:15 p.m. email sent to UO President John Karl Scholz and the UO Board of Trustees, stated the groups’ “pain and concern” regarding the pro-Palestine encampment on campus.
“Seeing that the university has failed to disperse the encampment for a week as of today, we are writing this letter to demand the University of Oregon to enforce its own policies immediately and protect Jewish and Israeli students,” the email stated.
The email further stated that calls for “intifada, from the river to the sea, and violent uprisings” are “not acceptable,” leave “Jewish Ducks feeling unsafe and welcome” and “cross the free speech line.” The phrases have been controversial. Pro-Palestine protestors tend to view phrases like “from the river to the sea” as calls for Palestinian liberation, while others — including Jewish advocacy groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee — see them as antisemitic calls for the end of the Israeli state.
It further calls on UO faculty, administrators and students to “strongly condemn” said language.
The statement went on to say that as a club Ducks for Israel — also known as Ducks 4 Israel on their Instagram — “diligently” follows university guidelines when scheduling events. They said it is “disheartening” that the university has not taken action despite “repeated rule-breaking by some students” within the encampment.
The statement also condemns “tokenization” of Jewish students involved in the pro-Palestine encampment, stating that “many in our community have made clear they feel differently.” The UO chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace is a lead organizer of the encampment and has put on several events, including Shabbat services at the camp on Friday and Saturday.
Ducks for Israel’s most recent event on campus featured Israeli Defense Forces soldier Adiel Cohen as a guest speaker, which drew significant counter-protests.
The Emerald has reached out to the university and spokespersons of the encampment for comment on the statement.
Updated May 6, 10:58 a.m.
At 10:58 a.m., UO Interim Vice President for Student Life Kris Winter sent an email to students entitled “Update Related to Encampment.” The email stated the university’s commitment to “fostering equity and inclusion and welcoming, safe, and respectful community for all” amidst the “unauthorized” encampment.
“UO respects and protects the constitutional right to free speech, peaceful dissent, and freedom of expression, while also being committed to upholding the right for all our students to receive their education, to participate in and attend classes, and to do so safely and without intimidation,” the email stated.
Winter said that the university’s “chief concern” was the physical safety and well-being of “the community” and said that the university has provided the encampment with UO policies “of which they are in violation and created an avenue for communicating with the administration.”
Negotiation sessions between UO Coalition for Palestine representatives and UO administrators are expected to resume today, according to UO spokesperson Angela Seydel. However, it is unclear when the negotiations will occur.
The encampment is currently quiet as a steady drizzle continues to fall on an already waterlogged and muddy Memorial Quad, following over three inches of rain this weekend.
UO Students for Palestine posted on Instagram calling for “more bodies at the camp” asking students to bring homework and other activities to the camp.
Despite poor weather conditions, the encampment remains steady at around 140 tents.
UO Campus Planning and Facilities Management have begun preparation for the ASUO Spring Street Faire scheduled to begin on Wednesday May 6. CPFM has removed bike racks from East 13th Avenue in preparation for the faire.
ASUO has said they have communicated with coalition organizers to ensure both events can occur simultaneously.
There is a “Jewish Student Mixer” scheduled for 12 p.m. as well as discussion regarding current updates in Gaza. There will also be a “Before October 7th Teach-In” held at 2:45 p.m.
Updated 7:48 a.m.
UO’s pro-Palestine encampment enters its second full week on the Memorial Quad in relative peace.
University officials have taken some preventive measures in response to the encampment, including early building closures, setting up surveillance cameras and erecting cement barricades east of the site. Yet no police have been called to the site in the camp’s first seven days. A statement yesterday from UO spokesperson Angela Seydel said that the university was “actively working to prevent unnecessary escalation” while prioritizing safety.
The encampment, for its part, has largely contained any disruption to the Memorial Quad — the most notable exception being graffiti found in a Chapman Hall bathroom that may or may not be related to the camp. No substantial counter-protests have emerged.
The conditions stand in contrast to dozens of other university campuses across the country. The New York Times estimates that over 2,300 pro-Palestine demonstrators at 52 universities have been arrested since April 18.
Negotiations are expected to resume between student negotiators and university officials today. The parties met Saturday at 10 a.m., but it was unclear whether additional meetings had taken place over the weekend.
The Daily Emerald will continue to provide live updates today and throughout the week.
