Student Encampment Ends With an Agreement
The students involved in the Pro-Palestine student encampment plan to ensure that the University of Windsor acts on the agreement that they reached.
Earlier this month the University of Windsor’s administration sent an email announcing that they reached two agreements with the people of the student encampment and the UWSA.
The student encampment has since been removed.
“Both agreements outline steps for enhancements, aligning with Aspire’s commitments to becoming a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and just institution, and the University’s ongoing efforts to combat all forms of identity-based violence and discrimination, especially for those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The University of Windsor agreed to recognize Anti-Palestinian racism which according to Leila Obeid, one of the encampment organizers and a spokesperson, was a huge success for them.
Obeid added that another thing that was agreed upon with UWindsor is upholding freedom of expression and supporting students to not have to deal with any misconduct for their pro-Palestinian speech. In addition, in terms of full exposure, the university will be sending out a report soon disclosing all the companies that they have associations with and all funds as well.
The student encampment’s demands have attained support and counselling for their students. They worked with the university on restructuring the current training that is given to staff, along with an onboarding of new counsellors to meet the demand of the BIPOC demographics of the students.
“We have essentially set the ground to allow the University of Windsor to be more bound through international law and human rights law and domestic people bodies as well, and when we talk about situations such as weapon divestments and associated technologies we have decided that this is also going to be a long fight that will incorporate not just the Palestinian students’ fight but it will be one that consist of a broader community because it affects our people of Yamen, Sudan, Congo, Kashmir, and everybody within the global south.” Says Obeid.
Jana Al Rifai, a student participating in the encampment and a spokesperson, said in the encampment’s press release following the agreement: “It is the most comprehensive and far-reaching agreement to come out of Canadian encampment negotiations with seven sections addressing all of the Zone’s demands: Disclosure, Divestment, Academic Boycott, Support for Palestinian scholars and Palestinian students, and addressing anti-Palestinian Racism.”
As for how the students plan on ensuring that the university’s actions do not stray from this agreement Al Rifai says: “I think a lot of it really depend on how the atmosphere and the environment are going to be, most importantly, we’re going to be watching them, we’re going to be seeing what they’re doing.”
The University of Windsor stated in its press release that some of the key points of the agreements are:
- Students from the encampment will remove all tents and related components within 48 hours.
- Enhanced anti-racism initiatives: The University’s anti-racism and anti-oppression policies and websites will address identity-based oppression, including offering comprehensive education and training for senior leaders, faculty, and staff.
- Support for students: An expanded Scholars at Risk program and possible new initiatives will provide enhanced support for students affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
- Responsible investing: The University will continue to evolve in its investment review practices and strategies, aligned with its responsible investment policy and responsibilities as a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, while ensuring financial sustainability to support mission-related goals.
- Disclosure: In keeping with practices of other Ontario universities, the University will annually disclose direct and indirect public fund investments.
The encampment was set on campus on May 10, and students were sleeping in tents withstanding severe weather conditions, waiting for the university to agree on their demands.
“We stayed very strong and willful through our own principles and values.”
Students believed that they could reach an agreement with the university even in moments where they were feeling conflicted.
“Being at that table with University of Windsor, it genuinely seemed like, and we all genuinely believed, that there was going to be an agreement…,” shares Al Rifai.
She added that they believed that they wanted to resort to direct action to get their demands because “direct action works.”
Meanwhile, the UWSA had their own negotiations with the university following the BDS motion passed. Their negotiations and agreement were done separately from the student encampment’s negotiations.
Ghalia Hashem the UWSA president says: “we were in two very similar negotiations at the same time, but they were separate negotiations.”
However, Hashem shared: “The UWSA and the liberation zone have an interesting relationship.”
Hashem added that the UWSA represents the students and provides support for them and given that the encampment people are also students they tried to provide supports to them where they could.
“UWSA provides support to the encampment, insofar as we offered our tent to them, we gave them supplies, we brought them food because they are a student encampment, and our students are part of it.”
Hashem says she is not concerned with the federal government influencing the decisions the University of Windsor has made as part of the agreement with the UWSA and the student encampment.
“I think it’s important for us all to remember, for me as well, that universities are meant to be independent, and are meant to have their own autonomy when it comes to them expressing viewpoints on certain actions,” says Hashem.
“The University of Windsor, I hope, will be confident in that they made a decision that was mutually agreed upon by their stakeholder, the students, which are a major stakeholder, and they are working in the best interest of the community that they serve.”