UW-Madison strikes deal with campus protesters to take down encampment

The tents are coming down at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The university said Friday afternoon it had reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian protesters who first pitched tents April 29. The compromise came hours before commencement weekend began, and the potential for a disrupted ceremony loomed large.

It puts an end to a tense two weeks on campus where protesters defied a state rule banning camping on campus property and refused to leave until UW-Madison divest from companies connected to Israel.

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on May 1 ordered police to break up the campground on Library Mall, a directive that devolved into chaos. Officers arrested 34 people who police said interfered with efforts to take down the tents. Four police officers were injured in the clash.

The agreement requires UW-Madison to connect the Students for Justice in Palestine group with "decision-makers" who control university investments by July 1 so students can present their demands to the UW Foundation.

The university also agreed to increase support for scholars and students affected by the Israel-Hamas war by:

• Inviting at least one scholar from a Palestinian University to campus for each of the next three school years

• Hiring an employee in the Division of Student Affairs to support whose students affected by war, violence and displacement

• Reviewing the International Division's projects, internships, study abroad and other programs to consider how to grow opportunities to engage with people and places affected by war, violence and displacement

In exchange, protesters agreed to clear the encampment Friday and not disrupt commencement Saturday at Camp Randall.

Protesters said in a statement the agreement was "only the first step" in their fight for UW-Madison to divest.

Although the tents ran afoul of a state rule, UW-Madison said in a statement it understood the encampment "was motivated by understandably passionate feelings about the devastation in Gaza, and was a source of community for many participants." The statement acknowledged the encampment made others, including some Jewish students, feel "uncomfortable and unseen."

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at [email protected] or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: University of Wisconsin-Madison reaches deal with protesters over tents