Wesleyan University encampment clears after school, protesters reach agreement

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WTNH) — The pro-Palestine encampment at Wesleyan University has willingly cleared after the school and protesters came to an agreement about the university’s investments, according to an announcement Monday from President Michael Roth.

The encampment was cleared by Monday evening.

“I think this is a historic win for us,” said Uday Narayaran, a member of the Wesleyan Students for Justice in Palestine.

Wesleyan’s encampment was a stark contrast to pro-Palestine protests held at Yale University and the University of Connecticut — where police were ordered to clear encampments and dozens of arrests have been made. In all instances, protesters had demanded for universities to disclose if endowments included investments in weapons manufacturers or Israeli companies.

Monday, dozens walked out of Yale University’s commencement ceremony in protest .

Wesleyan had declared since the beginning of the encampment that protesters would not be arrested as long as the protest remained peaceful.

In a written announcement, Roth said that 1.7% of the university’s endowment was invested in aerospace and defense businesses, as of Dec. 31, 2023, but that none of those businesses make weapons. About .4% of the endowment is invested in Israeli software companies.

“The protesters did not ask for information about investments in any other countries, but we can say that Wesleyan’s endowment is not invested in any companies listed by the protesters,” Roth wrote.

Representatives from the encampment will meet with the investment committee later this month, and in the fall the committee for investor responsibility will be able to propose changes for the university’s investment framework.

“We are going to organize as much as we can to make sure that vote passes, and that our university will commit not to be complicit in the genocide of Palestinians,” Narayaran said.

Students who participated in the encampment will not face disciplinary action.

“It is always important that we maintain a safe enough environment on campus for people who disagree with one another and who embrace opportunities to learn from people with various points of view,” Roth wrote. “Yes, protests are demanding for all constituencies of a university. At their best, they help turn our attention to issues that really matter. I am hopeful that soon we can re-direct our collective efforts to urging our lawmakers, both here in Connecticut and in Washington DC, to do everything in their power to create a resolution in Israel and Gaza that will result in the return of the hostages, an end to the fighting, and a commitment to a process that will recognize the rights of all parties. More generally, I have hopes that the political energies recently displayed by our students will play a positive role in addressing the momentous questions before this country in the coming elections.”

Roth said the protesters have vowed to not disrupt reunion and commencement events. However, the organizers said they didn’t agree to that.

“We’ve been peaceful this entire time and we want to keep doing that,” Serena Murdoch, the encampment organizer, said.

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