Communication to university senior leadership and the members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. A comparison of the university’s action plan compared to encampment participant demands is available here.
Colleagues,
Yesterday OSU and non-OSU community members held a rally at the north entrance of the Kerr Administration Building. This rally included individuals chaining themselves to the building, where they remain today, trading places in shifts. Like the university’s response to the overnight encampment, we have taken steps to provide safety to members of the group in front of Kerr and will continue to do so long as they are present.
Following the rally, President Murthy, Provost Feser and other university leaders received a message from the OSU Palestinian Solidarity Coalition repeating a demand for the university to negotiate. We responded shortly thereafter once again communicating that the university has committed to actions that address their core concerns and are consistent with our mission and values as a public institution of higher learning. We include the recently exchanged message here for reference.
The following offers additional detail on several issues arising in this situation.
On the Matter of “Negotiating”
The protest group has formed an encampment in direct violation of university policies and then demanded the university agree to their demands or they will not cease violating university policies. This tactic is untenable. If allowed to stand, other groups will surely use it to pursue their own interests. The motivations of any group and the merits of its demands are immaterial. Compliance with university policies—which at OSU are a product of dialogue, thoughtful consideration, and shared governance in service of important objectives and the benefit of the entire university community—is not negotiable.
On OSU Taking Political Positions
The group has demanded that OSU make statements condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, claiming that to do otherwise constitutes “complicity” in those actions. We have repeatedly made clear why taking institutional positions on public affairs and world events is inconsistent with our role as a public university with a mission to advance critical inquiry, respect diverse viewpoints on complex matters, and create and disseminate knowledge.
On Engagement with the Group
University leaders, including President Murthy in informal settings, have engaged respectfully and repeatedly with members of the overnight encampment. In these settings, the President and the university leaders have listened, explained the university’s positions, and committed to actions to address encampment demonstrators’ concerns. While the actions the university has announced and is now pursuing do not satisfy every one of the demonstrators’ demands, they are tangible, significant, and address matters over which the university has control. And they are consistent with the university’s mission and values. We include a side-by-side comparison of our planned actions and demands made by OSU-PSC.
On “Amnesty” for Policy Violations
Members of the encampment have demanded that they not be held accountable for violations of university policies or laws. When the encampment was established on May 15, the university communicated to encampment members the many ways individuals and groups may fully exercise their free expression rights through protest without violating OSU’s Free Expression Policy, Code of Student Conduct, and law. Camping on university grounds and disrupting other facilities (e.g., Kerr)—and effectively requiring associated security and other forms of support—is not one of those ways. For the reasons outlined above, participants have been notified repeatedly that they are violating university policies and will be held accountable following OSU’s usual processes. To do otherwise makes compliance with agreed policies selective and negotiable. Until recent calls for “amnesty,” encampment members signaled that they understood and were prepared to accept the consequences of their actions.
Moving Forward
The ability of all OSU community members to voice their positions freely and advocate for positive change is important. The safety of students and employees is important. The integrity of our policies and shared governance processes is important. Our unique mission as an institution of higher learning is important. There are multiple concerns in play in this difficult situation and we have sought to balance them as we’ve listened, engaged and learned. We are moving forward with the actions we’ve identified and invite the entire OSU community to join this effort.
Sincerely,
Dan Larson
Vice Provost for Student Affairs & Senior Advisor to the Provost for Operations