Students, faculty rally at University of Oregon encampment, call for cease-fire in Gaza

A crowd of more than 500 University of Oregon students and employees marched from the UO Gaza Solidarity Encampment to Johnson Hall on Tuesday, calling for an end to the war in Gaza and chanting "disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest."

The rally marked the latest effort from the pro-Palestinian student encampment's call for action from the UO administration. The encampment, put up a week earlier amid similar movements on campuses across the U.S., continues to grow, with more than 120 tents set up across the Knight Library Lawn as of Tuesday.

More than 100 UO faculty and staff had signed a letter titled "University of Oregon Faculty & Staff are proud to support the student Gaza Solidarity encampment and urge UO administration to refrain from escalation" as of Tuesday afternoon.

Kaleigh Bronson, a research professor at UO and a founding member of the group called UO Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, read the letter aloud during the rally.

UOFSJP was one of two employee groups that spoke during the rally, joining a group that supports students' right to free speech. That group does not explicitly agree with the encampment's demands, according to Bronson. She said the two employee groups, while separate, are working together to protect students.

"We are concerned that although it has been stated by administration that there is no current plan to remove protesters from the encampment, students in the encampment were hand-delivered an official notice that threatened 'legal consequences of non-compliance, such as student disciplinary action, arrest, and punishment for trespass and disorderly conduct,'" Bronson said.

"This encampment is not acting in any way that threatens the safety of our campus community," she said. "The students participating in the encampment are engaging in an act of peaceful protest while simultaneously engaging in educational discussions and critically important dialogue, some of which has been led by UO faculty members."

The letter states that students have also already faced harassment from counter-protesters and indicated there are fears about the potential for violence if police are called to remove the encampment.

Bronson told media that many faculty and staff have received what they consider "veiled threats" from the administration. She said she took the day off work to attend the rally and avoid any potential discipline.

"They just keep reiterating over and over again, don't hold your class at an encampment, don't do anything political on work time," Bronson said. "(They've sent) really problematic, in our mind, statements about safety on campus."

Bronson was among a half dozen faculty and staff who spoke during the rally. A dozen more employees stood together behind the speakers.

UO administration's statements on pro-Palestinian student encampment

University administration has released a string of statements since the student encampment was erected on April 29.

A letter from interim Provost Karen Ford directed UO employees that they "must not use work time or the workplace to promote or oppose political views that are not relevant to our assigned work."

A similar message was included in a letter on Monday from Kris Winters, interim vice president for student life, reminding faculty of their instruction obligations.

"No student should be encouraged or compelled by UO employees to be exposed to the protest or encampment," Winters stated. "This includes visiting the encampment for any academic or instructional purpose including class or office hours."

Winters encouraged students to report any violations by faculty members.

"I want to acknowledge that this is a tense time, and we may hear and see things that are deeply offensive and hurtful to us," Winters stated. "While upsetting, this type of challenging speech, even that which may be considered hate speech, is generally protected by the Oregon and US Constitutions. UO respects and protects the constitutional right to free speech, peaceful dissent, and freedom of expression, while also being committed to upholding the right for all our students to receive their education, to participate in and attend classes, and to do so safely and without intimidation. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, anti-Palestinian hatred, and other forms of hate and intimidation are loathsome and do not reflect the values of our university."

Ralliers have called for the university to divest from several companies with ties to Israel's military Jasper Ridge Partners, Boeing, Elbit and Vanguard. A recent letter from President Karl Scholz stated that investments are managed by the UO Foundation and he would not ask it to "deviate from their responsibilities and approach."

"The foundation appropriately focuses on long-term investment decisions that ensure the university remains on strong financial footing," Scholz stated. "That is done through rigorous management of our investments, evaluating opportunities through an environmental, social, and governance framework, a framework that is attentive to environmental, social, and governance considerations."

University of Oregon students appreciate staff support, plan to stay

LJ Smith, a UO student and media liaison for the encampment, said it was a tough weekend, with the downpour of rain. Community members rallied to donate tarps, raincoats, handwarmers and more essentials. Smith said they have been grateful for the support from community members and UO employees.

"We were so honored that we had that letter from faculty and staff go out in support of the encampment," Smith said. "It tracks that there was a direct response from admin on that, and that is very much how we did perceive the statement — a reaction to that action. (The letter from admin) hasn't changed much for us here. The goals are the same, the spirit is the same."

The UO Palestine Coalition has stated negotiators received a letter from UO administration, which "threatened to revoke academic amnesty for all protesters starting (Tuesday) at noon."

The letter reportedly stated that UO “offered to forego pursuit of student conduct code charges against those in the encampment (for violating space reservation and overnight camping rules, which are in pace for campus to maintain respectful operations and physical safety) if there is no further overnight camping and if recognized student groups reserve space for further gathering during daytime hours through appropriate channels … this offer expires at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.”

The coalition negotiating group stated that the administration has failed to meet "the very bare minimum" of its demands, which called for protections for vocal students and staff, divestment from companies that support Israel, and education on the history and current situation in Gaza.

This means that as of Tuesday afternoon, students could be even more at risk of academic discipline or arrest.

Smith said this letter hasn't affected morale at the camp.

"We've all been aware of the risks since we stepped foot in camp," Smith said. "Something I am deeply proud of is the organization that has gone into this, and part of that has been extensively informing all students who come onto campus, the levels of risks that are involved with that. We have known from the start, that academic amnesty ending was a possibility. We're here to stay. We're prepared to be here until our demands are met."

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 students, faculty hold rally in support of Palestinians