This article describes the little-reported on success that Brown University had in disbanding student protest… by conceding to let activists present a case for divestment at an upcoming hearing before the university’s investment board.
There’s a lot of interesting considerations. The university did not agree to drop charges against forty students for rule violations, but the charged students themselves voted to accept the agreement under the belief that the overall offer was worth their own sacrifices.
Overall, I personally think this shows the irresponsibly unreported fact that negotiation with a protest IS an option that can serve the interests of both sides far better than state violence.
That’s a concern I share, but I think I’m the immediate moment, the activists have forced the university to break down a very significant barrier: their demands are legitimized by this. It becomes harder for other schools to justify a crackdown. And if this gets repeated, we move on to the next chapter of this story: university hearings across the country.
The goal is to change what is possible and put pressure on Israel and it’s material bankers. A large number of hearings does that. Crackdowns don’t really hurt the war effort or the profits of the military industrial tech complex.
It’s going to require a lot more pressure, but if this is not winning this particular battle, I’m not sure what that looks like.
Their demands aren’t legitimized, only deferred.
I’ve been through exactly this situation when my university refused to negotitate with unionized faculty and drove the faculty to go on strike. The students tried to hold the board accountable for the absolute shitstorm they unleashed by 10+ years of gross mismanagement leading to this strike, but they had them get off the picket line and instead present their demands and concerns at a board meeting- where the board then ignored everything students said, told them “this isn’t your place to be speaking”, kicked them out, and went on for the last 4 additional years doing whatever the fuck they want.
Trust me, this tells other colleges nothing more than “let them talk so they shut up and get off the news”. That’s all any of them want. Board of Trustees are there to enrich themselves and do not exist to serve students.
Fordham also said they would allow the students to make their case to the CFO and the Board of Trustees, and the students(correctly) refused to take it as the school still hasn’t even called for a cease-fire. How can a plan to divest from Israel be taken seriously when they won’t even call for an end to Israel’s genocide?