On May 24th, Students for Palestine Trent announced that they had received a response from Trent University administration stating that they would agree to a meeting with the group. With the tentative date set for May 31st, the group noted that the meeting will proceed only once Trent confirms in writing that they agree to meet certain conditions.

The stipulations for the meeting include the attendance of President Leo Groarke and that the purpose of the meeting will centre on the group’s demand for disclosure and divestment, as well as requests that those involved face no reprisal for their actions and that two representatives from Faculty for Palestine be allowed to attend the meeting.

According to Students for Palestine, Trent wrote that “the University’s perspective was shared through our statement posted May 17” but “it would be helpful to meet to discuss [the groups] concerns and suggestions.”

Trent’s statement from the 17th merely reiterated statements which have previously been reported on in Arthur and which students dismissed during last week’s sit-in.

Over the past week, a number of related campus protests have received responses from their respective institutions while new encampments, such as the one at the University of Guelph, have just begun. 

As students around the world continue to mobilize and demand accountability from post-secondary institutions, institutional responses vary widely. Some universities have reached agreements with organizers and agreed to demands for disclosure and divestment, while others seek legal actions to dismantle encampments. 

On May 20th, Ontario Tech University students reached an agreement with university administrators two weeks after the encampment was erected in Polonsky Commons at the heart of the university’s north Oshawa campus. In doing so, they became the first student group in Canada to come to a mutually agreed upon means of ending the encampment.

“We, the Pro-Palestinian Student-Led Encampment at Ontario Tech University, are pleased to announce that we are the first university in Canada to reach an amicable agreement with our university to both disclose and divest from all investments benefiting from the genocide in Gaza,” the group’s statement, which was posted to Instagram, reads.

The agreement, which was signed by Ontario Tech President Steven Murphy, outlines steps the university will take in order to complete a thorough review of its investments through a working group and also agreed to “implement an admissions process from an inclusive lens to ensure Palestinian or other similarly displaced students can equally access education.”

The copy of the statement posted by Ontario Tech for Palestine also provides a timeline and framework for how these aims will be achieved and the bodies responsible for them with policy to be approved by the Board of Governors in November of 2024. 

In exchange, students agreed to dismantle the encampment and vacate the area within 24 hours and not resume any encampment before May of 2025.

On May 24th, McMaster University released a statement which outlined the outcomes of “productive conversations” with student organizers which include the voluntary dismantling of the encampment. 

According the statement, “the encampment has agreed that all tents and components of the encampment will be taken down and removed beginning immediately and completed within 24 hours, and will not return to any university location. There will be no disruptions by encampment supporters to any university business, including convocations.”

In return, McMaster promises to take action to increase transparency around investment, including providing an annual report which will contain the names of all pooled funds in the university’s investment pool. The university also commits to the creation of an “open process” which will “allow any McMaster community member to raise questions or concerns about McMaster’s investments” by Fall 2024. 

Additionally, the university pledges up to $200,000 for its Scholars-at-Risk Program and Students-at-Risk Bursary in order to support qualified Palestinian academics and students, and commits to publishing a series of stories about McMaster students affected by the ongoing conflict in the school’s news outlet, The Daily News.

At the University of Toronto, however, students and organizers from the Occupy for Palestine (O4P) group have been given 24 hours to accept an offer from the administration. The offer was extended on the afternoon of May 23rd.

An official statement by University of Toronto President Meric Gertler which was sent out to U of T students suggests that the encampment has violated the “fundamental principle of inclusion” of the institution. 

“Discrimination and harassment have been experienced on campus by members of our community since the encampment began, with incidents being reported to Toronto Police Service in some cases, and the University addressing concerns directly with student organizers in others,” the statement reads.

Further on, Gertler agrees to “a public statement reaffirming the University’s commitment to academic freedom, human rights, and international cooperation” and invites student representatives to present their demands during a June 19th meeting of the university’s Business Board of Governing Council.

Additionally, the offer outlines the creation of an advisory committee to review the university’s divestment policy with the goal of bringing forward a report by October 2024 as well as the creation of an “expert working group to consider options for disclosure and increased transparency related to the University’s investments.”

This offer, however, “is conditional on the encampment clearing and not resuming at any campus of the University” and further asks that organizers “must also refrain from disrupting Convocation activities.”

Gertler’s states plainly that U of T will not cut ties with Israeli universities or researchers, a point which it suggests may infringe upon its “commitment to academic freedom, the unfettered global circulation of people and ideas.”

According to reports from The Varsity, Gertler held a press conference with campus organizers just after 4:00 on May 23rd. 

While reporters from the university’s student paper were barred from entering the building where the conference took place by campus security, the paper was given a copy of a video of the proceedings.

During the press conference, Gertler reportedly called the offer “fair and reasonable” and noted his intent to pursue a trespass order against protestors should they not accept the university’s offer noting that “the patience of our community is running thin” and that U of T is “pursuing all legal options available” in order to bring an end to the encampment. 

In response to the offer, O4P posted on Instagram calling the offer “inadequate and offensive” and asking when the school’s administration will “stop dragging their asses and actually commit to ending the complicity in genocide?”

“We want real action. Not another fucking committee,” the final slide of the post, which features prominent professors, honourary degree holders, and alumni of the university who have expressed their support for the group’s demands.

On Friday afternoon, the university issued a trespass order against the encampment which gave protestors until 8:00 Monday morning (May 27th) to leave the area.

Following weekend meetings with organizers, it was announced on Monday morning that the university would be seeking a court injunction to remove the encampment. Similar legal measures have been used unsuccessfully in Quebec in response to an ongoing encampment at McGill University.

However, also on May 27th, a Quebec Superior Court judge granted Université due Quebec à Montréal (UQAM) a partial injunction which calls on encampment participants to refrain from blocking access to university buildings and for them to allow UQAM representatives and firefighters to visit the site to ensure safety.  

Similarly, at the University of Waterloo administrators issued a notice to organizers at the encampment on May 20th to end the protest and remove all structures, citing at least six university policies that they say have been broken.

Two days later, according to reports from Imprint a meeting between university administrators and organizers was cancelled. In response, the Occupy Waterloo group posted a response on Instagram which suggested that the administration is attempting to “silence dissent.”

“Students are UW’s biggest stakeholders, we demand transparency, we demand disclosure, we demand an end to the complicity, and we will not stop till our demands are met,” the post continues. 

This breakdown in communications comes after reports of the university installing seven security cameras directed at the encampment on May 15th.