Wayne State University officials said Tuesday that the school is moving to remote operations effective immediately because the pro-Palestinian encampment poses “an ongoing public safety concern.”
The change to remote learning came after university leaders met over the weekend with pro-Palestinian protesters, who set up camp last week, and the U.S. representative. Rashida Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat, called on the university president and the Board of Governors to negotiate a settlement, while a university spokesperson said talks could not continue until the camp would not have been dismantled. University spokesperson Matt Lockwood confirmed Tuesday morning that the change to remote learning is “directly related to the encampment.”
When asked if Wayne State had any plans to clear the encampment, Lockwood said there were no immediate plans, but added, “It’s a fluid situation.”
WSU Board of Trustees President Shirley Stancato could not be reached for comment. But board Vice Chairman Bryan Barnhill II said the board received regular updates, reached consensus on how to proceed and was “confident” in how the situation would be managed by police and President Kimberly Andrews Espy.
“We have confidence in the ability of public safety officials to handle the situation, and we have confidence in the president and her leadership team to effectively manage the situation with care and respect for all parties,” Barnhill said.
Espy did not release a statement Tuesday. But on Monday, in her latest statement, she wrote that she was writing after reading about the past 24 hours in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, where 45 people, about half of them women and children, were killed on Sunday during an airstrike by the Israeli army.
“I reach out tonight with a heavy heart,” Espy wrote. “These events are truly tragic.”
Espy wrote that camp occupants cleared two walkways leading to State Hall so the buildings could be accessed and that Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Patrick Lindsey again visited a group of protesters and told them that they “were trespassing and demanded that the camp be dismantled immediately.”
“Part of this discussion, which you can watch here, involved a request to schedule a meeting with university leadership,” Espy wrote. “After additional consultations, Vice President Lindsey returned to the encampment and offered a meeting on Tuesday with university leadership if the encampment was removed by the end of the day Monday. This offer was an attempt to good faith to find a way to dismantle the encampment Although this offer was immediately declined, university leadership continues to encourage dialogue and meetings with all students to hear, discuss and address important concerns.
WSU posted on social network X that remote operations would remain in effect on its Detroit campus until further notice.
“Due to public safety concerns due to the fluid situation in the encampment, university leadership has decided to transition to remote operations until further notice,” Lockwood said via email Tuesday. “We repeatedly asked the organizers to remove the encampment and they refused to do so.”
He did not immediately respond to a question about whether police would evacuate the camp. Police officials could not be reached for comment.
On Thursday, a pro-Palestinian group set up an encampment on campus. The Wayne State encampment came two days after the removal of an encampment at the University of Michigan that had been in place since late April.
Lockwood noted that Espy has posted several messages about the situation.
“As president of Wayne State, I want you to know that I hear from many of you and others about this difficult situation,” Espy wrote Sunday. “There are many perspectives and I listen.”
More:Wayne State demands camp dissolve as Tlaib urges Espy to meet protesters
Organizers of Wayne State’s pro-Palestinian camp told The Detroit News by email Friday that they plan to stay on campus until their demands are met. Among their demands is divestment from Israel’s university, Israeli companies or companies that supply Israel with military equipment.
The students had been ordered “through sources” to demolish the encampment by 6:30 p.m. Monday and a small group of students would meet with Espy to discuss their demands, said undergraduate Ridaa Khan. and protester. The students rejected it, preferring an “open negotiation” session Wednesday with Espy to discuss divestment, Khan said, but there was no response.
Staff writer Hayley Harding contributed.
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