Brown Students to Dismantle Tents, UNC Arrests: Protest Tracker

(Bloomberg) -- The barricade by students at Columbia University is just one of dozens of protests against Israel rippling across the US. 

At campuses from Los Angeles to Florida, demonstrators are demanding schools sever financial ties to Israel and grant amnesty to students for rule breaking, among other goals. The showdowns have sparked recriminations and support from politicians, faculty and billionaire donors.

With commencement quickly approaching, the pressure on administrators is on. Their strategies have varied from heavy handed to hands-off. Here’s a look at the latest developments at several institutions across the country. 

Brown University: Protesters at the Ivy League school agreed to dismantle their encampment after striking a deal that allows them to present their divestment proposal to the university’s governing body. Brown President Christina Paxson will give a recommendation on the matter, and it will be brought to a vote in October. The administration also agreed that students involved in the encampment won’t be subject to suspension or expulsion.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt: Police on Tuesday arrested about 35 people, including students and professors, who had taken over two buildings for refusing to abide by a dispersal order. The campus is under a “hard closure” through May 10.

University of California at Los Angeles: Campus police officers broke up a fight between protesters in an encampment and counter-protesters after about 60 people attempted to breach the entrance of the encampment in Dickson Plaza around midnight Tuesday morning. Administrators said some barriers that were blocking access to class have been removed.

University of Southern California: Organizers from the USC Divest from Death Coalition said they were “deeply disappointed” after meeting with University President Carol Folt on Monday to discuss their demands. The organizers and Folt were scheduled to meet again on Tuesday.  

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Dozens of students camping on the main quad were detained Tuesday, with six arrested, according to the Daily Tar Heel. The school said some protesters threw objects at officers, tried to enter a building, and refused to comply with requests from police. While the campus was cleared of the encampment, protesters were soon back on the quad.

Tufts University: After talks with protesters failed, school officials said Tuesday evening they would issue a “no trespass order” to students at an encampment, the Tufts Daily newspaper reported. Those remaining will be subject to suspension and potentially not allowed to take part in commencement, the report said.

Yale University: After talks between protesters and school administrators broke down, students were warned anyone who didn’t vacate the encampment on Cross Campus lawn Tuesday morning would be subject to arrest and “emergency suspension,” according to Yale Daily News. Police were able to clear the encampment without arrests, though protesters vowed to return.

New York University: The school said efforts to de-escalate a campus protest through talks faltered, forcing officials to resort to “conduct charges.” Students were told they would be suspended, according to student-run newspaper Washington Square News, which cited the Palestine Solidarity Coalition. Police had arrested dozens of protesters at an encampment at the school last week.

Cornell University: Students were temporarily suspended after they refused to move their camp to an alternative location. The school will hand out additional suspensions and make human resources “referrals” for employees engaging in the protests, according to a statement by school president Martha Pollack on Monday. 

Princeton University: Thirteen people were arrested on Monday after hundreds of students took over a university building and erected barricades. Protesters surrounded the bus carrying the arrested students until they were released. The students received summonses for trespassing and were barred from campus.

University of Florida: Nine people were arrested Monday after occupying a campus plaza for five days and failing to comply with multiple warnings, according to the Independent Florida Alligator. “This is not complicated: The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children,” said spokesman Steve Orlando. 

Northwestern University: Officials reached an agreement with protesters to clear an encampment, avoiding the confrontations seen at other institutions. The deal stipulates the immediate removal of tents and sound systems in exchange for the university permitting demonstrations to continue until June 1 on the campus meadow.

George Washington University: More than 100 tents remained for a sixth day of demonstrations after protesters tore down barricades, sparking increased police presence, according to student newspaper the GW Hatchet. District of Columbia police refused the university’s request earlier to clear pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Dartmouth College: Students at the Hanover, New Hampshire, school haven’t set up tents as of Monday, according to the Concord Monitor, making it an outlier among Ivy League universities. However, last week a pro-Palestinian rally drew about 300 students and faculty to the college green.

University of Texas - Austin: About 80 people were arrested Monday at an encampment of protesters calling for the school to divest from Israeli weapons manufacturers. That followed a previous round of arrests last week that brought 57 people into custody on charges of criminal trespassing. All the charges stemming from the initial round of arrests were dropped.

McGill University: Administrators at the Montreal-based school asked for help from police after protesters refused to leave an encampment that began Saturday. “Having to resort to police authority is a gut-wrenching decision,” McGill President Deep Saini said in an email to students and staff Tuesday. “In the present circumstances, however, I judged it necessary.”

Washington University in St. Louis: Officers on Saturday arrested more than 100 people — including 23 students and four employees — who refused to leave an encampment that violated school policies. Three officers were seriously injured, according to Chancellor Andrew Martin. 

Indiana University: Protests continue days after the Indiana State Police were brought in to remove tents. About 50 people have been arrested across different sweeps, spurring condemnation of the school’s handling of the demonstrations, according to the student paper. Administrators have encouraged arrested students to appeal their cases.

Harvard University: Administrators haven’t sought to clear out an encampment on Harvard Yard, instead threatening sanctions and restricting access, according to the Harvard Crimson. 

University of California at Berkeley: Protests at a student encampment in the plaza in front of Sproul Hall have remained largely peaceful. Police haven’t attempted to clear the area and no arrests have been made.

--With assistance from Derek Decloet and Felipe Marques.

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