The backlash over the settlement of Northwestern University with pro-Palestinian protesters continues to mount. In a letter acquired by The Daily Northwestern, seven out of 11 members of the “President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate” resigned this week in protest.
Under the controversial agreement, the school will admit five Palestinian students each year, support two Palestinian faculty members annually, create special housing for Muslim students, and add students to Committees to review purchases from Israeli businesses.
The resigning committee members criticized NU President Michael Schill’s failure to seek advice from the committee regarding the agreement.
The Anti-Defamation League criticized the deal, writing: “Instead of holding the perpetrators accountable, the university rewarded them. It would be unbelievable if it wasn’t true.”
Brown University has also been the target of criticism over its settlement with protesters, including a pledge by Brown President Christina Paxson to consider the divestment from all Israeli businesses.
Rutgers may be the next flashpoint for such criticism after agreeing this week to all but two demands by protesters.
— Rutgers accepting “at least 10 displaced Gazans” to complete their studies at the university.
— Plans to create an “Arab Cultural Center” by the fall semester at every Rutgers campus.
— Creation of a “memorandum of understanding” and “long-term educational partnership” with the West Bank’s Birzeit University.
— Use of “Palestine” and “Palestinians” instead of “Middle East” or “Gaza region” in all official university communications regarding “Israeli aggressions in Palestine.”
— Training for university staff and the hiring of experts in “anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism.”
— Display of flags on campus of “Palestinian, Kurdish, Kashmiri and other disputed territories.”
— “Full amnesty to all faculty, staff, student organizations and students” who took part in the Rutgers anti-Israel encampment and protests the past week.
The two items not agreed upon — divestment from companies that do business with Israel and ending Rutgers’ partnership with Tel Aviv University and the HELIX Innovation Hub — will be dealt with later by the university.
