MINNEAPOLIS — The tents came down at the U of M after university leadership and pro-Palestine student groups announced an agreement Thursday that will commit the school to greater transparency and protestors to dispersing the encampment following four days of demonstrations.
University interim president Jeff Ettinger announced the terms of the agreement in an email Thursday morning, following an extended meeting with student leaders Wednesday that both parties said was "constructive" and "respectful."
In a post on Instagram, student coalition UMN Divest confirmed they would disperse the encampment.
"UMN Divest remains steadfast in our commitment to demanding FULL divestment," the post read. "We will continue fighting for all 6 of our demands until they are met and continue with full transparency of every step that is taken."
In his email, Ettinger stated that the U of M will reopen closed buildings on Northrop Mall on Thursday at noon and added that student demonstrators committed to not protesting at upcoming final exams and commencements. Both sides met for 90 minutes Wednesday, and then two more times since.
"We regret that these meetings did not happen sooner, and have committed to regular meetings moving forward to continue to discuss this coalition’s concerns," Ettinger said in the statement.
The student groups originally demanded that the university divest, ban and boycott corporations linked to the Israeli military, disclose investments with students and staff, announce support for Palestinian people and declare amnesty for university protestors.
Of those demands, here is what Ettinger said the university has committed to:
- DIVEST: The student coalition will address the Board of Regents about their divestment priorities at their meeting on May 10.
- BAN: The University does not support banning employers on campus or at career fairs, but offered connections with career service staff to advocate to students on choosing an employer.
- BOYCOTT: University leaders offered connecting student groups with UMN staff overseeing international affairs to discuss affiliations with both Palestinian and Israeli universities.
- DISCLOSE: University leaders will provide information on the U's holdings in public companies by May 7, and will add additional information on public company holdings by May 17.
- THAWABIT: Per the statement, "The University appreciates and wants to support our Palestinian student body. We will seek to find ways to better express and evidence this support."
- AMNESTY: University leaders recommended to UMPD that they not arrest or charge anyone based on their actions in the protests within the last few days, as long as the encampment is removed by Thursday night. As for the protestors arrested in the previous week, the University will recommend leniency to the Minneapolis City Attorney.
For the interim president's full message, click here.
Ettinger also met with Jewish student groups Thursday to "appreciate and support" the concerns of the Jewish student body.
Hillel and other Jewish organizations on campus met with him and held a joint press conference shortly after.
The organizations said while they appreciate being heard and that intent to educate all staff and students about antisemitism was expressed, they said they were disappointed that the UMN is not outlining actionable steps similar to those in the president's full message.
"We were hopeful that they would use that free speech in order to put out a statement condemning the language that's being used on campus, like globalize the Intifada and glory to the resistance by all means necessary," said Hillel president Alex Stewart.
At the press conference, Jewish Community Relations Council Deputy Executive Director Ethan Roberts spoke once again about the disproportionate about of reports of bias against Jewish students at the university and the need to protect them.
"They have agreed to give the protesters time and on May 10 before the Board of Regents," said Roberts. "That was also one of the requests that were made by the Jewish students here who did not break the rules. They were not given any such guarantee. You would have thought that the least they could do is say, yeah, of course, you can speak before the Board of Regents. Of course, we will also agree to some concrete steps of action."
Students say the university's actions will speak louder than its words.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: