Brown University Reaches Deal With Student Protesters, Will ‘Consider’ Divesting From Israel

Students agreed to remove their encampment from school grounds.

People walk past Sayles Hall on the campus of Brown University, in Providence, R.I., on May 7, 2012. AP Photo/Steven Senne, File

Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, announced on Tuesday that it has reached a deal with students who were demonstrating in support of Palestinians, ending weeks of protests.

Under the new agreement, students agreed to remove their encampment from school grounds by 5 p.m. on Tuesday and “refrain from further actions that would violate Brown’s conduct code through the end of the academic year, which includes Commencement and Reunion Weekend,” according to the school.

In return, the Ivy League institution will “consider” divesting from Israel, the university said.

Specifically under the terms of the new agreement, five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to present their arguments as to why the school’s endowment should be divested away from companies they allege are “enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza.”

Brown’s president, Christina H. Paxson, will also ask the advisory committee on university resources management to provide a “recommendation” on the subject of divesting school funds away from such companies by Sept. 30.

That recommendation will be brought to the Corporation of Brown University for a vote at its October 2024 meeting, the school said.

The new deal followed “productive discussions” between university leaders and students who had been protesting since April 24 over the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

‘Escalation in Inflammatory Rhetoric’

Shortly after the deal was brokered, students began taking down their tents and packing up their belongings to leave the encampment, according to multiple reports.

In a statement announcing the agreement, Ms. Paxson expressed her concerns over the escalating situation in Israel and Gaza.

“The devastation and loss of life in the Middle East has prompted many to call for meaningful change, while also raising real issues about how best to accomplish this,” she said.

“Brown has always prided itself on resolving differences through dialog, debate, and listening to each other. I cannot condone the encampment, which was in violation of University policies,” the school’s president continued.

Ms. Paxson also revealed her concerns over what she said was an “escalation in inflammatory rhetoric” in recent weeks and increasing tensions at campuses across the country, including at Northwestern University and Columbia University, where officers with the New York Police Department removed and arrested hundreds of students on Tuesday following weeks of protests.

“I appreciate the sincere efforts on the part of our students to take steps to prevent further escalation,” she added.

The deal was welcomed by student group the Brown Divest Coalition on Tuesday who branded it a major victory.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a short rally after marching around the 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' on the West Lawn of Columbia University in New York City, on April 29, 2024. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

‘Unprecedented Win’

“This is an unprecedented win that comes over four years after a divestment recommendation was made by the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies in 2020,” the group said in a statement to multiple media outlets.

“At the time, and in the years since—including in the first days of the encampment—President Christina Paxson had refused to bring the ACCRIP report to the corporation for a vote. This vote is a major concession that affirms the power of our encampment and the national movement of student encampments for Palestine.”

However, on the social media platform Instagram, the group stressed that it will continue to put pressure on the university to divest and that it supports encampments across the country.

“We stand with student protesters as they face university oppression and police brutality, and the people of Palestine as they continue to withstand the Israeli occupation,” the group said.

While the agreement brokered between both sides on Tuesday notes that no member of the Brown community, including staff members or students will face “retaliation” over the demonstrations, students will face “disciplinary action.”

“The establishment of tents and other related activities have violated a range of policies, and while Brown will continue to follow its conduct processes related to unauthorized activities, University leaders agreed that ending the encampment will be viewed favorably in disciplinary proceedings,” the school said.

Meanwhile, reports of bias, harassment, or discrimination received during the encampment will continue to be investigated, according to the university.