In light of protests, UNC Chapel Hill cuts diversity funding and beefs up security funding

“Defund the police and fund DEI,” were common cries on campuses in the last few years. But, in at least one case, the funding directions have suddenly reversed.

As NBC News reports, this happened at the flagship campus of the University of North Carolina (UNC): UNC at Chapel Hill.  As I’ve reported, this was only the second university in America (after the University of Chicago) to adopt official institutional neutrality on ideological, political, or moral issues. (This is the equivalent of Chicago’s Kalven Report.) Sadly, while the school has adopted neutrality, it’s still violating it in several ways. So we can say that UNC Chapel Hill talks the talk, but still doesn’t completely walk the walk.

Curiously, the violations of Kalven UNC enacted involve just those that are now endangered for lack of funds: mandatory antiracism policies, including DEI initiatives. Click the headline below to read:

An excerpt:

North Carolina’s public university system considers a vote on changing its diversity policy, the system’s flagship university board voted Monday to cut funding for diversity programs in next year’s budget.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved a change that would divert $2.3 million of diversity funding to go toward public safety and policing at a special meeting to address the university’s budget. The board’s vote would only impact UNC-Chapel Hill’s diversity funding, which could result in the loss of its diversity office.

The vote to shift more funding to public safety comes as continued pro-Palestinian protests on UNC’s campus have resulted in several arrests in recent weeks. The budget committee vice-chair Marty Kotis said law enforcement has already been forced to react to protests, but they need more funding to keep the university “safe from a larger threat.”

“It’s important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university’s operations,” Kotis said. “It takes away resources for others.”

It’s ironic that this tradeoff is apparently happening because of college protests (DEI was on the way out in many places before the war, anyway), for many of the protests are fueled by the DEI mentality, which sees Israel as a land of white colonialist oppressors. And yet the police are needed to ensure that the protests don’t produce any violence to people or university propertly. (To be sure, there has been almost no physical danger from either side, although Jewish students did attack the encampment at UCLA, and that may have followed a Jewish woman being stepped on and kicked by protestors.)

There’s more:

Last month, the statewide board’s Committee on University Governance voted to reverse and replace its DEI policy for 17 schools across the state. The change would alter a 2019 diversity, equity and inclusion regulation that defines the roles of various DEI positions — and it would appear to eliminate those jobs if the policy is removed.

The full 24-member board is scheduled to vote next week on the policy change. If the alteration is approved, it will take effect immediately.

Many of us have called for an end to diversity offices and diversity statements at colleges and universities on several grounds, including that of ineffective programs and compelled speech. But I’ve also argued that at least a few people in each school should be tasked with investigating and enforcing prohibitions against bigotry as well as harassment in the workplace.

h/t Jay

Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement address at Duke

Here’s Jerry Seinfeld’s 17-minute commencement address at Duke, which I don’t find nearly as funny as I’ve been told. It may be because he once responded this way when asked about his reported statement that he won’t do comedy at colleges any more:

“I hear that all the time,” Seinfeld said. “I don’t play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me don’t go near colleges — they’re so PC (politically correct).”

So he stays pretty much away from politics in this address, something he more or less had to do given the Zeitgeist, but that also took the edge off his humor.  To me, the “funny” bits aren’t funny, and the serious “advice” seems anodyne.

Fall in love with BIC pens and pizza crust? What’s that about?  “Keep your sense of humor”? Yes, but he evinces little of that in his talk.  “Work hard in life”?  Yes, but that’s trite—the stuff of many such addresses. It’s clear that he decided to steer clear of anything that could cause controversy, and the result is a phoned-in and unfunny shtick. It’s a pity. And he didn’t even have to be controversial; all he had to be was funny, but he seemed incapable of that.

Nevertheless, as the NYT reported, there was still some protest.

As Mr. Seinfeld, who has recently been vocal about his support for Israel, received an honorary degree, dozens of students walked out and chanted, “Free, free Palestine,” while the comedian looked on and smiled tensely.

Many in the crowd jeered the protesters. Minutes later, as the last of the protesters were filing out, he approached the mic. His first words were: “Thank you. Oh my God, what a beautiful day.”

In his commencement speech, Mr. Seinfeld was mostly cautious, opting for a tight comedic script interspersed with life advice instead of a full-on response to the protests against his presence.

Well, at least he wasn’t deplatformed because of his support for Israel!

Jesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ priapism

Today’s Jesus and Mo strip, called “parts” came with a link and a comment:

The original story is here.  Check out the photo of the naughty priest.

And the email from the artist added, “That priest’s mischievous face is the funniest thing about this story.”

Go see for yourself!  Click below to see the article.

An excerptfrom the story, which appeared in Metro:

Father Thomas McHale, priest at Our Blessed Lady Immaculate in Blackhill, Consett, County Durham, shocked his flock by claiming during his Good Friday sermon that Jesus died with an erection.

The 53-year-old American prelate told the roughly 100 gathered that execution by crucifixion would have sent all the blood rushing down to Christ’s lower body.

One dismayed worshipper told The Times: ‘He told people Jesus died with an erection. The church was shocked. There were young families there.’

Oy! Here’s the strip: both the barmaid and Mo both take the mickey out of Jesus.

Wednesday: Hili dialogue

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is musing about the implications of atheism.

Hili: If there is no God I have to go and take a nap.

A: An interesting conclusion.

.

.

In Polish:

Hili: Jeśli Boga nie ma, to trzeba się przespać.

Ja: To interesujący wniosek.

Press release about our cancellation

Below is the press release (in two languages) describing the cancellation of our discussion by a group at the University of Amsterdam. That cancellation (or “deplatforming”) is described in my previous post.

This press release was sent out by the people who came together to organize my visit to the Netherlands involving two scheduled events. This visit was a private initiative, not the initiative of an organization.

The original is in Dutch, but there’s also an English translation, and since most readers here are anglophones, I put the latter version first.

In English:

Meeting at UvA with American professor emeritus Jerry Coyne and Maarten Boudry cancelled due to Palestine position

Earlier I had invited you to the meeting of betabreak, the discussion platform of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science (FNWI) of the University of Amsterdam about a recent article by Dr. Coyne in the journal Skeptical Enquirer (https://skepticalinquirer.org/2023/06/the-ideological-subversion-of-biology/). The meeting was to take place this Friday in the FNWI-UvA building Science Park 904. Participating in the discussion would be, in addition to Jerry Coyne: Maarten Boudry (Flemish philosopher and skeptic) and Michael Richardson (Professor of Evolutionary developmental zoology at Leiden University).

The meeting’s organizer, Betabreak (https://www.betabreak.org/committee), called off the meeting because of Coyne and Boudry’s Palestine position. Betabreak indicated that many members of committee of Betabreak were uncomfortable giving Jerry Coyne and Maarten Boudry a stage given their position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Betabreak’s committee also expressed concern about the impression a debate with Coyne and Boudry would make on Betabreak’s organization. Betabreak’s committee concluded that the debate with Boudry and Coyne could not take place given the current political climate.

Jerry Coyne and Maarten Boudry will discuss the article in the Skeptical Enquirer at another location on Friday without an audience. A video recording of this conversation will be made available via the Internet. The discussion participants are dismayed that the decision of betabreak of the FNWI of the UvA (https://www.betabreak.org/) to cancel a scientific discussion because of the political-societal views of the discussion participants leads to the fact that the discussion will take place in a private residence.

You are welcome to attend the conversation between Jerry Coyne and Maarten Boudry. Jerry Coyne and Maarten Boudry are available for questions about the situation.

More information about Jerry Coyne and Maarten Boudry can also be found on their website/weblog:

– Jerry Coyne: https://whyevolutionistrue.com/

– Maarten Boudry: https://maartenboudry.be/category/blog

In Dutch:

Bijeenkomst op UvA met Amerikaanse emeritus hoogleraar Jerry Coyne en Maarten Boudry afgezegd vanwege Palestina standpunt 

Eerder had ik u uitgenodigd voor de bijeenkomst van betabreak, het discussieplatform van de Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica (FNWI) van de Universiteit van Amsterdam over een recente artikel van dr. Coyne in het tijdschrift Skeptical Enquirer (https://skepticalinquirer.org/2023/06/the-ideological-subversion-of-biology/). De bijeenkomst zou aanstaande vrijdag plaatsvinden in het FNWI-UvA gebouw Science Park 904. Aan het gesprek zouden deelnemen naast Jerry Coyne: Maarten Boudry (Vlaams filosoof en skepticus) en Michael Richardson (Professor of Evolutionary developmental zoology aan de Universiteit van Leiden).

De organisatie van de bijeenkomst, Betabreak (https://www.betabreak.org/committee), heeft de bijeenkomst afgeblazen vanwege het Palestina standpunt van Coyne en Boudry. Betabreak gaf aan dat veel leden van committee van Betabreak zich er niet prettig bij voelden om Jerry Coyne en Maarten Boudry een podium te geven gezien hun standpunt over het Palestijns-Israëlische conflict. Het committee van Betabreak gaf aan ook bezorgd te zijn over de indruk die een debat met Coyne en Boudry zou maken over de organisatie van Betabreak. Het committee van Betabreak komt tot de conclusie dat het debat met Boudry en Coyne niet kan doorgaan gezien het huidige politieke klimaat.

Jerry Coyne en Maarten Boudry zullen op een andere locatie op vrijdag zonder publiek met elkaar in discussie gaan over het artikel in de Skeptical Enquirer. Van dit gesprek zal een video-opname worden gemaakt die via internet beschikbaar zal worden gemaakt. De gespreksdeelnemers zijn ontsteld dat het besluit van betabreak van de FNWI van de UvA (https://www.betabreak.org/) om een wetenschappelijke discussie af te blazen vanwege de politiek-maatschappelijke opvattingen van de gespreksdeelnemers er toe leidt het gesprek in een privé woonhuis zal plaatsvinden.

U bent van harte welkom om aanwezig te zijn bij het gesprek tussen Jerry Coyne en Maarten Boudry. U kunt Jerry Coyne en Maarten Boudry dan ook vragen stellen over de situatie.

Meer informatie over Jerry Coyne en Maarten Boudry kunt u ook vinden op hun website / weblog:

• Jerry Coyne: https://whyevolutionistrue.com/
• Maarten Boudry: https://maartenboudry.be/category/blog

I’ve been deplatformed at the University of Amsterdam for having the wrong stance on the Palestine/Israel conflict

I have been Dorian Abbot-ized: that is, a presentation in which I was going to participate with two other faculty, scheduled for this Friday at the University of Amsterdam, has been cancelled by the organizers because of my political views on the war between Israel in Hamas.

And, like Dorian’s case at MIT, our scheduled discussion had nothing to do with either Israel or Palestine. That is, we were deplatformed not for what we were supposed to talk about, but for views Maarten Boudry and I had independently expressed elsewhere—views that were apparently offensive to the organization that cancelled our discussion.

Our discussion was supposed to center on a paper I wrote with Luana Maroja for The Skeptical Inquirer, ‘The ideological subversion of biology“, which dealt with the distortion of six areas of evolutionary biology by well-meaning people whose ideology did not comport with biological reality.  It had nothing to do with war in the Middle East.

The organization that deplatformed me and two other professors was Betabreak, a science discussion group at University of Amsterdam. You can reach its website by clicking the banner below.

Everything was fine until we were informed yesterday on WhatsApp that the discussion was cancelled. The organizers didn’t contact me directly, but sent the cancellation to one of my hosts, so I’ve redacted his/her name in the indented message below, which is otherwise exactly as my host received it. “Dr. Boudry” is Maarten Boudry, a Belgian philosopher with whom I collaborated on a paper about religious belief several years ago.

Here is the official cancellation:

Hi NAME REDACTED,

I’m sorry to inform you that unfortunately we will have to cancel the event on Friday. I’m sorry it’s so last minute, but in light of the information from Dr. Boudry, many of the members in the committee did not feel comfortable giving Dr. Coyne and Dr. Boudry a platform given their stances on the Palestine/Israel conflict. Another fear is how it would reflect on us as a committee and that we might be blackballed at UvA/AUC. We understand the irony of this considering this is the very issue that Dr. Coyne wrote his article about, however the group decided we can’t host this event given the current political climate. Again, I’m very sorry that we have put so much time and effort into organizing this for nothing, I’m disappointed as well.

If you look at the Coyne/Maroja article (link is above), you’ll see it’s all about science, so “the very issue” of our article is not the war in the Middle East, but about the danger of distorting science by infusing it with politics.

 

A bit of background: Betabreak had voted to invite me and the other participants previously, but then backed out when they discovered Maarten and my “stances on the Palestine Israel conflict.” (Presumably this is because we are both sympathetic to Israel.) At that point they apparently decided that such a stance was sufficiently unpalatable to disallow us from discussing science in their forum. Betabreak also noted that it was is worried about how they’d look if they hosted the event and whether they’d get “blackballed” at their university.

Note that Betabreak is a “science discussion platform,” and that’s what we were going to do: discuss evolutionary biology and the way it’s misconstrued by the public.

But enough—one of the main purposes of this post is to solicit reader reaction to what happened.  I thus ask readers to give their honest reaction to the deplatforming above. Be aware that some comments might be picked up and quoted by the press in the Netherlands, so I ask you to be civil and rational (no profanity!)

Thanks!

Oh, here is the poster put out by Betabreak advertising the now-cancelled event.

Tuesday: Hili dialogue

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is unimpressed by Szaron.

Szaron: Tell me, do you like me?

Hili: Moderately.

.

In Polish:

Szaron: Powiedz mi, czy ty mnie lubisz?

Hili: Umiarkowanie.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee gives away the farm to protestors

Here’s the most egregious example yet of a college or university giving up institutional neutrality to capitulate to pro-Palestinian protesters and get them to dismantle their encampment.  The school is the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, (UWM), and a member of the campus community sent me the “agreement” the school made with its protesters. (Note that the system’s flagship campus is not in Milwaukee but Madison.)

The agreement is announced in the first letter below, from the Chancellor. The second document, the capitulation, is below that.

As usual, I have no way of assuring you that these are genuine, but the agreement itself appears on a UWM.edu website.  Given that and the local source, I’m about 99.99% satisfied that this craven capitulation is genuine. You can click on the first link of the Chancellor’s letter below or on the yellow bar at the bottom that says “read the full agreement” to see the capitulation. Read and weep.

May 12, 2024

Agreement reached to resolve encampment Dear UWM Students, Faculty and Staff, I’m writing to share that UWM leadership has reached an agreement with representatives of the student protesters encamped on the lawn outside of Mitchell Hall. As a result, students have started dismantling the encampment and will finish doing so by Tuesday morning. The agreement also includes assurances that those involved will not disrupt UWM’s upcoming commencement ceremonies. You can read the full terms of the agreement here. I’m grateful that the ongoing dialogue with our students has resulted in this peaceful resolution. I want to extend my personal thanks to everyone who played a role in the process. The voluntary dismantling of the encampment is the safest conclusion for everyone. And as I mentioned in my campus message last week, dismantling the encampment in no way infringes upon free speech. I know this has been a trying time for many, especially for those concerned by the encampment’s presence and those who have been personally impacted by the war. I also recognize that many have criticized UWM for not forcing the removal of the camp earlier. Indeed, the most common question asked of us involved when police would be sent in to break up the encampment. Our consistent answer: UWM leadership prioritized the safety of everyone involved, which meant seeking resolution through dialogue with our students. Today, as this agreement goes into effect and the encampment begins to come down, we are thankful there were no significant safety issues and that counterprotests remained peaceful. UWM is a public university that serves a broadly diverse community, and our core responsibility is the education of our students. And so, consistent with our mission, we’ve charted a path forward that prioritizes strengthening our community of care, mutual respect, accountability and collaboration for a better future. Best regards,

Mark A. Mone, PhD Chancellor

Note how Chancellor Mone pats himself on the back for “prioritizing the safety of everyone involved,” but many schools have resolved such violations  in other ways (e.g. the campus or local cops) without anybody’s safety being compromised. In fact, I’m not aware of anybody in the U.S. being hurt during the takedown of an encampment by force. That was also the case in Chicago; it just takes careful planning.

Note too Mone’s claim that dismantling the encampment in no way infringes upon free speech. That’s true, but dismantling the encampment via cops or threat of expulsion doesn’t infringe on free speech, either, for speech that violates the “time, place, and manner” regulations of colleges isn’t protected free speech as well, or so the courts have ruled.

The protesters are always free to make their chants in ways permitted by UWM, but chose to protest to force the college to capitulate to their demands, not to persuade by rational argument. And the protesters won this one.

But let us look at UMW’s odious “compromise.” The letter is indented and I’ve made a few remarks (flush left).

May 12, 2024

Dear UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition,

Thank you for meeting with us on May 6th, 8th, and 10th, in addition to our many discussions over the last weeks and months. Together, we have made meaningful progress toward a peaceful resolution of the encampment. We have summarized UWM’s final responses to your demands from your correspondence and our meetings below. If these responses and actions are acceptable, we ask that you communicate your agreement by replying all to this message by 4 p.m. Sunday, May 12, and meeting the remaining terms noted in the Conduct Process section at the end of this letter. We stress that meeting this final deadline and ensuring the encampment comes down by the deadline are essential to ensuring we can continue working together on the action items included in this letter.

Call for a Ceasefire and Condemn Genocide

We join the countless calls by national and international leaders for a ceasefire in Gaza. As of this letter, the UN had reported more than 34,000 innocent Palestinians, approximately 60% of whom were women, children and the elderly, had been killed, and nearly 80,000 more had been injured in the war on Gaza. The ongoing humanitarian crisis has led to dangerous water scarcity and starvation of thousands of civilians. A United Nations (UN) expert and the International Criminal Court have now called this war a “plausible genocide.”

Before we point out the many other mistakes in the first part of the letter, note first that the International Criminal Court did not call this a “plausible genocide”. That’s the wrong court, for one thing. Mone is referring to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which, unlike the ICC, judges nations, not individuals. And what the ICJ ruled is not that this is a “plausible genocide,” but that, as Joan Donogue, the former head of the ICJ, notes in this video,

“The court decided that the Palestinians had a plausible right to be protected from genocide and that South Africa had the right to present that claim in the court. It then looked at the facts as well. But it did not decide – and this is something where I’m correcting what’s often said in the media – it didn’t decide that the claim of genocide was plausible.”

Note too that even before this letter was written, the UN itself reduced the death toll of women and children to 13,000, or 34% (not 60%) of total deaths.   (See also here.) The proportion of women and children killed given by UWM are based on Hamas’s estimates, which everybody but Hamas admits are inflated.  One thing for sure, though, is that the “34,000 innocent Palestinians” are not all apparently “innocent”, as that figure includes many fighters for Hamas. And that moiety is not “innocent civilians,” but terrorist combatants.

But even the total figures can’t be trusted. First, the total figure given (34,000) is based on Hamas’s Ministry of Health (MOH), which has not disclosed how it estimates death tolls. Whether the true toll is close to 34,000 can’t be known yet.

Further, the ratio of civilians/combatants killed probably varies between 1.2 to 1.5, a figure that is an unprecedented low for modern urban warfare because of IDF’s policy of trying to avoid civilian deaths using a number of methods, including warning civilians in future fire zones. (Note: Netanyahu just claimed that ““Fourteen thousand have been killed, combatants, and, probably around sixteen thousand civilians have been killed,” he tells Dan Senor on the Call Me Back podcast.” But given world opinion, people won’t buy that, though it might be accurate. Again, wait and see—if we ever get an answer.)

The death of any truly innocent civilians, of course, is greatly to be mourned, as each is a noncombatant human being with friends and family. But remember that Hamas increases the number of true civilians killed by using them as human shields.  Still, taking the higher ratio of civilian/combatant deaths, we can estimate that about 40% of those killed were combatants. This figure will, of course, be revised later, but to imply that everyone killed was an “innocent civilian”, as Mone does, is hugely misleading. What was he thinking? He surely can’t think that Hamas fighters are “innocent civilians”!

The letter continues:

We also condemn the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, resulting in the killing of 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians, military personnel and police.

Innocent civilians, especially children, must not be the targets of war. This is why we also call for the release of the remaining Israeli and international hostages held by Hamas and the release of Palestinian men, women and children held as hostages in military detention in Israel. We condemn all violence and call for it to end.

Note that Palestinians held in military detention are NOT hostages, or equivalent to them. They were arrested because they were suspected of terrorist activities. They are subject to court decisions—with regular court sessions to decide whether the detention should be prolonged or not. Both Palestinians and Jews are subject to detention (of course there are many more Palestinians than Jews because they engage in terrorist activities much more often, but some Jews are also detained). Many countries in the world (democratic nations as well) use detention when the threat of criminal/terrorist activity is high upon release but the authorities do not have enough evidence to put the suspect on trial. That is known as being held without bail.

Further, Palestinians in detention are NOT kept in underground bunkers, are adequately fed, have access to health care, and their families know where they are and the suspects and their lawyers can act on their own behalf. This is a huge a difference between Palestinians in detentions and Israelis held as hostages.

Denounce Scholasticide

We condemn the destruction of universities in Gaza, including the last remaining one during the military assault as reported by the United Nations in April 2024.

A press release from the United Nations in April 2024 states,

“After six months of military assault, more than 5,479 students, 261 teachers and 95 university professors have been killed in Gaza, and over 7,819 students and 756 teachers have been injured – with numbers growing each day. At least 60 percent of educational facilities, including 2 13 public libraries, have been damaged or destroyed and at least 625,000 students have no access to education. Another 195 heritage sites, 227 mosques and three churches have also been damaged or destroyed, including the Central Archives of Gaza, containing 150 years of history.”

The same press release cites an expert stating that 80% of all schools in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged.

As educators and education administrators, we believe protecting our schools is fundamental to society. We condemn the destruction of the education system and the killing of its students, teachers, faculty and staff.

Here’s another misstatement. In fact, schools and universities in Gaza were destroyed or damaged because they were used by terrorists as bases, weapons-producing entities (universities), for weapon storage or there were tunnels under them. There was simply not a single university or school in Gaza that wasn’t used by terrorists.

Disclosure and Divestment

The UWM Foundation leadership has agreed to meet with up to four students identified by UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition after the encampment comes down on Tuesday, May 14, to discuss your concerns and requests. UWM administrators will attend and ensure that students will be given the opportunity to express their requests for disclosure and divestment. This offer is in addition to the UWM Foundation financial statements provided to you, as well as our information about UWM’s request to the Foundation Board to review its investments in funds that include weapons manufacturers.

Whether this discussion is of any effect on divestment at all is questionable given the following statement:

Cut Ties with Private Companies

As noted in our previous conversations, UWM is prohibited by law from cutting ties with private companies and organizations that do business in Israel, which includes all the businesses you cite in your demands and most recent letter (Wis. Stat. sec. 20.931). UWM supports the civic engagement of students and encourages protestors to make their concerns heard with lawmakers, as it does with all student advocacy issues.

Cease Collaboration with Institutions & Organizations

1. Study Abroad: As we shared during our last meeting, UWM will review its study abroad policies and programs to ensure compliance with our Discriminatory Conduct Policy. Separate from the lack of recent activity in these programs, a current State Department travel advisory for Israel advises against travel for safety reasons. Over the next academic year, a working group will be formed to review all study abroad programs to ensure compliance with our Discriminatory Conduct Policy and develop a process for students to report discrimination experienced in these programs. Members of the working group include members of the International Committee (the IC will self-determine which of its members will participate), the Office of Equity/Diversity Services and the Office of the Dean of Students. We invite you to recommend three to five faculty or instructional academic staff members to be considered for participation in this working group.

Note that they are using the State Department’s travel advisory as a possible reason to avoid having a “study abroad in Israel” program. And they ask the protesters to nominate faculty to judge the study abroad programs. What are the chances that these faculty wouldn’t be pro-Palestinian? I’d say about zero, though they really should have no allegiance.

2. Third-Party Offerings: Hillel, which sponsors certain trips to Israel, is separate from UWM. These trips are not advertised on UWM.edu.

3. Water Council: As we confirmed while discussing your concerns in our May 8 meeting, it has been determined that the Water Council had relationships with two Israeli-government-owned water companies, Mekorot and Israel Innovation 3 Authority. These companies are accused by international aid organizations, including Amnesty International, of cutting off access to drinking water for thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, exacerbating water scarcity. These are serious concerns that Chancellor Mone addressed with the Water Council president. At the Chancellor’s urging, the Water Council no longer has relationships with these entities, and they have been removed from the global listing on the Water Council’s website.

Note that at best 10% of Gaza’s water comes from Israel, the rest being groundwater or desalination plants. As for Israel “cutting off drinking water to Gaza,” I’m pretty sure that water delivery has been largely restored, but can’t be certain as I can’t ascertain it at this moment.  But at most the loss of all Israel-supplied water would cut Gaza’s water supply only by 10%.

Conduct Processes

UWM has repeatedly noted that camping on university grounds is a violation of state law and the student code of conduct. Given that the encampment is a public demonstration in opposition to what the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia calls the “War on Gaza,” the Chancellor and the Provost have agreed to forgo relevant citations or conduct violations for the Coalition and the student groups copied on this message, if all conditions outlined below are met. This exemption only applies to camping activity and does not apply to activities such as, but not limited to, vandalism or property damage, and only applies if the following conditions are met:

1. The encampment must begin to come down on Sunday, May 12, and must be completely deconstructed no later than 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 14. If there is no meaningful progress, which should include the removal of tents and personal property, towards deconstructing the encampment by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, May 12, UWM will begin student conduct processes immediately. UWM staff will assist on Monday with the removal of larger items, such as pallets and plywood, and clean graffiti from Mitchell Hall (which is a historic building that facilities staff prefer to clean).

2. There must be no disruptions at either of UWM’s commencement ceremonies.

3. The coalition and all student groups copied on this message must agree to meet the terms of this agreement.

Here the University agrees not to punish any students (save those determined to be guilty of vandalism) for encamping, despite that they have violated both state law and the student code of conduct.

The agreement finishes with further some osculation of protesters:

We agree with you that removing the encampment should not be the end of our work together. After the encampment is removed, we propose a series of campus conversations and educational opportunities. We also agree to collaboratively schedule and hold meetings to discuss progress on that. A working group that will include representatives at your suggestion in these educational planning efforts will also be formed.

We join you in thanking the UWM Police Department for their respect for students, while still maintaining their concern for security. Because of the long-term relationships, bridge-building and communication between UWM administration and students, this encampment can end peacefully.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Mone, PhD
Chancellor

Andrew Daire, PhD
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Chia Vang, PhD
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Adam Jussel
Dean of Students

CC: UWM Students for a Democratic Society
UWM Muslim Student Association
UWM Students for Justice in Palestine
UN-PAC (Political Action Committee) at UWM
Young Democratic Socialists of America at UWM

So you can add UWM to the three-school list of Craven, Compromising Colleges (along with Brown and Northwestern).

Although the agreement could have been worse, it couldn’t have been much worse. I suspect the only reason they didn’t allow the protesters to make divestment decisions is that the law prevented that from happening.

This “resolution” is bad in several ways. First of all, it shows the school as historically ignorant. While it does decry the October 7 attack on Israel, it doesn’t mention the ongoing firing of rockets at Israel from Gaza, which are rockets deliberately aimed at civilians, a war crime that Israel doesn’t commit (the same is happening from Lebanon). The “genocide” is clearly the genocide of Israel on Gaza, which is not a genocide at all. As anybody with neurons to spare knows, the real genocide—a stated determination to wipe out a people—is the philosophy held by Hamas, which in its very charter says its goal is to kill Jews.

The statement also seriously distorts what’s happening in Gaza, not only with respect to the genocide and efforts of the IDF to avoid killing civilians, but also in its use of casualty figures which even the UN doesn’t accept.

Worse, this is an arrant example of a university taking sides in a political conflict: the Palestinian side. It’s thus a violation of institutional neutrality, big time.

Finally, and I want to bring this long post to an end, by giving in to the encampers, merely so the protesters don’t mess up graduation and allow the situation to be resolved “peacefully”—and caving isn’t the only way to resolve this peacefully; there is also non-injurious force and, best of all, the threat of suspension and expulsion—UWM heartens the protesters to continue their disruption. With three schools having capitulated this way, in fact, protesters are heartened everywhere, as who knows if they’ll hit the divestment jackpot if they try?

I’ll close with a statement from the UWM community member who sent me the Chancellor’s letter and compromise statement, quoted with permission:

Our UW-Milwaukee administrators have, in their panic about tents and signs, become willing conduits of Hamas propaganda.

Amen.