University of Oregon, pro-Palestinian protesters reach agreement, encampment comes down

The pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Oregon is being taken down after administrators and student protesters reached an agreement late Wednesday night.

On the 25th day of the encampment, which was established April 29, the UO Gaza Solidarity Encampment, also known as the Popular University for Gaza, was broken down throughout the day Thursday. In the morning, a couple of dozen students bustled around, starting to pack up supplies and equipment. The encampment will be taken down by 9 p.m. Thursday.

The agreement, which was approved around 9 p.m. Wednesday, has several key wins for the UO Palestine Coalition:

• A statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza from UO President Karl Scholz

• An end to sales of Sabra Hummus on campus, which was one of the companies the coalition was calling to boycott due to its ties in Israel

• Involvement in new task force that would investigate the UO Foundation's finances called the UO Senate Working Group on Ethical Investment, Purchasing & Contracting

• Encouraging faculty committee to approve suggestions to expand Palestinian study opportunities at UO: a special commitment of $50,000 a year for the next three years to bring visiting scholars to UO; a new inter-institutional exchange partnership with Birzeit University in the West Bank; host two to three scholars to students directly impacted by the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the Scholars at Risk network; and expand studies on Palestine and Israel with two new and two existing positions

• Establishing Middle Eastern North African cultural space on campus

"It's a good start," said Salem Younes, a spokesperson for the encampment and freshman at UO. "They aren't our original demand ... but it's still good things."

Scholz released a statement addressing the agreement Thursday.

"This has been a challenging process, requiring patience and good faith on the part of all parties," Scholz stated. "I would like to thank the University Senate leadership and partnering faculty for their efforts to achieve an agreement over the last week. I would also like to thank our teams in Safety and Risk Services and Student Life for continually working to safeguard and provide support to all our students through this challenging time."

Additionally, the agreement states that individual students will not be disciplined for their participation in activities sponsored by the encampment that did not violate university policies. Scholz's statement said, "We will view student cooperation and goodwill in reaching a settlement as a mitigating factor in adjudicating student conduct violations."

Diego Duarte, UO student who has been on the Palestine Coalition's negotiating team since the encampment began, said negotiations improved significantly since the UO Senate stepped in as an intermediary last week.

"It was much more productive than the previous two or three weeks," Duarte said. "I want to commend the faculty intermediary team, they did a great job. We had, in the last few days, several four- or five-hour negotiation sessions, going late into the night, and it was very productive"

With the spring term coming to a close, both parties expressed relief in reaching agreement on some terms.

"This is definitely not everything we want, and we'll be back for more in some other form," Duarte said. "The U.S. still has some complicity in genocide, and we need to deal with that. But this is a big step forward for the university and for Palestine."

Bittersweet emotions for UO students who participated in pro-Palestinian encampment

At the encampment Thursday morning, students who participated were feeling a mix of emotions while breaking down tents.

Spirits were high in the camp as well as emotions. Students could be seen sharing long hugs at the encampment.

"There's a little bit of sadness," Duarte said. "There's community here that's been established over the last month. But overall, I think there's some relief to be done with this stage of our process."

"It's kind of bittersweet," Younes said. "I have been here for three and a half weeks, so undoubtedly, that does do something to a person."

Younes, whose parents are Palestinian and Lebanese, said this cause has deep familial ties for them. Younes, a first-generation American, said that their father was displaced from his home at birth and had to move four years after the Nakba, which was the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in 1948. Younes said they felt an "ancestral obligation" to participate in the movement on campus.

They said this experience has changed their life.

"This is like one of the best, if not the best, thing that's happened to me," Younes said. "This has been an incredible experience for me. ... Normalcy is going to take a little bit here. I'll never be the same again."

With the dozens of tents and other supplies donated to the encampment, organizers said they will be donating any supplies not returned to their original owners to local unhoused people. Organizers said that the coalition is working with the Barefoot Defender and Black Thistle Street Aid to get donations out.

What does the future look like?

Scholz stated that he was grateful for the efforts of those involved in reaching the agreement and commended the community's ability to reach a conclusion without violence seen on many other university campuses.

"We commit to continuing to use our educational mission to advance discussion, debate, and scholarship that can add insight to our understanding of the current conflict and of the Middle East," Scholz said in a statement. "The last few weeks have tested us in many ways. I encourage everyone to find ways to rest, to reset, and to celebrate our extraordinary community. I look forward to doing this with you in a few weeks when we honor our students and their families at graduation."

Despite the wins from the new agreement, both Duarte and Younes said the Palestine Coalition will still be working toward their original demands. Although there aren't set plans yet, the coalition will continue to meet and organize demonstrations through the end of the term and in the 2024-25 academic year.

"We're going to continue pressuring the university to divest its funds from Israel and from the war machine," Duarte said. "That could take place over the next few weeks, that could take place going into next year. We are absolutely staying together and we're staying strong."

"We have a lot of work to do," Younes said. "Don't get the sense that we're going anywhere anytime soon because we're just getting started.

"This year was just the beginning for the Palestine movement, not only in Eugene but on campus."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: UO pro-Palestinian encampment comes down as agreement reached