The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards has notified approximately 130 students of potential conduct violations for encampment-related activities as of Thursday, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. Some of the students who received the OSCCS email claim not to be participating in the encampment.
Earlier today, organizers told The Herald that 105 students are currently participating in the encampment.
鈥淭he University continues to ask individuals in or in immediate proximity to the encampment to present their Brown IDs for two reasons: to verify association with Brown for safety and security reasons, and to appropriately address potential violations of policy,鈥� Clark wrote.
He added that 鈥渆ncampment on Brown University鈥檚 historic and residential greens is a violation of University policy, and participants in the encampment have been verbally informed of this fact and that they will face conduct proceedings.鈥�
Officers from Brown鈥檚 Department of Public Safety have recorded ID information five times since Wednesday morning when the encampment began, including at around 10:30 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. today. Provost Francis Doyle wrote in a Tuesday email that failure to show ID was against University policy.
The approximately 130 students who have been notified had their ID information recorded on Wednesday. Several other students鈥� ID information was collected on Thursday, but they are yet to be notified of the status of their cases.
鈥淭he letter is the start of a conduct process 鈥� not a finding of responsibility,鈥� Clark added. 鈥淎ll students have the ability to respond, per standard student conduct procedures.鈥�
Read more about The Herald's live coverage on the encampment here.
Editor鈥檚 note: Below is a summary of previous coverage by The Herald detailing context regarding the encampment and related demonstrations
The demonstrators are calling on the University to 鈥渄ivest from companies enabling and profiting from Israel鈥檚 military occupation of Palestinian territory鈥� and 鈥渢o protect free speech on campus,鈥� according to a press release obtained by The Herald. This includes dropping the charges of the 41 students arrested in the Dec. 11 sit-in, it added.
The encampment follows a series of similar demonstrations at other universities, most notably at Columbia which a 鈥淕aza Solidarity Encampment鈥� on April 17. New York Police Department Officers arrested over 100 students at last Thursday and 120 at on Monday. On Wednesday, police at least 50 people at the University of Texas at Austin and more than 90 protesters at the
The protesters demand that the University adhere to a 2020 report by the Advisory Committee on Corporation Responsibility in Investment Practices that recommends 鈥渄ivestment from companies that facilitate the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.鈥�
In a recent Q&A by the University, Vice President and Chief Investment Office Jane Dietze said that 鈥済iven today鈥檚 realities, it鈥檚 not possible to divest the way Brown did in South Africa or Sudan.鈥�
Dietze referred to increased reliance on external managers, which oversee 96% of Brown鈥檚 endowment, as barriers to divestment. Of the 4% of the endowment the University directly invests, none are affiliated for 鈥渁ny of the companies discussed in the current divestment debates,鈥� she said.
Brown鈥檚 encampment marks a continued call for divestment from companies affiliated with Israel this academic year. On Nov. 8, police arrested 20 students affiliated with Brown Jews for Ceasefire Now following a University Hall sit-in; another 41 students with Brown Divest Coalition were arrested during a Dec. 11 sit-in and placed on University probation. The 41 students from the December sit-in continue to face criminal proceedings.
In February, a group of protesters partook in an eight-day hunger strike demanding that the Corporation 鈥渉ears and considers a divestment resolution.鈥� Paxson refused to meet their demands, instead encouraging them to submit a divestment proposal to the Advisory Committee on University Resource Management 鈥� ACCRIP鈥檚 successor.
In response, the strikers argued that the ACURM proposal consideration process would take too long, saying that it could 鈥渢ake months 鈥� an untenable timeline given the urgency of the crisis in Gaza.鈥�
In an interview with The Herald, Paxson said that she would 鈥渁sk ACURM to fast track鈥� divestment consideration, should a proposal be submitted.
Owen Dahlkamp is a Section Editor overseeing coverage for University News and Science & Research. Hailing from San Diego, CA, he is concentrating in political science and cognitive neuroscience with an interest in data analytics. In his free time, you can find him making spreadsheets at Dave鈥檚 Coffee.
Ryan Doherty is a Section Editor covering faculty, higher education and science & research. He is a sophomore concentrating in chemistry and economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
Avani Ghosh is a Metro Editor covering politics & justice and community & activism. She is a sophomore from Ohio studying Health & Human Biology and International & Public Affairs. She is an avid earl grey enthusiast and can be found making tea in her free time.
