“Pro-Palestinian protesters reach agreement with Harvard University to end encampment” (CNN):
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters maintaining an encampment at Harvard University have reached an agreement with the university and will end their encampment, the group said in a news release Tuesday.
For 60 students and student workers facing disciplinary procedures, the university has agreed to expedite their cases “in line with precedents of leniency for similar actions in the past,” according to Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP), the organization behind the encampment.
Alan Garber, Harvard’s interim president, in a message to the university community, said he has asked schools to “promptly initiate applicable reinstatement proceedings for all individuals who have been placed on involuntary leaves of absence.” Garber did not say how many students were involved.
HOOP said the university will meet with the protesters “to begin discussions on disclosure, divestment, and reinvestment.” Harvard will also engage in conversations about creating a “Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard,” the group said.
I’m wondering what other groups could camp out in Harvard Yard to get publicity, suspensions, and then reinstatements after negotiations with university bureaucrats.
Progressives used to be passionate about Free Tibet (or at least say that they were). Could a Free Tibet group camp out in Harvard Yard to demand that Harvard divest from companies that do business in China? (Before the Israelis became the gold standard for committing “genocide”, the Chinese were accused of having killed Uyghurs via a “genocide”. Searching CNN and NYT one must conclude that either the Uyghurs are dead or American progressives stopped caring. But I guess we could ask whether progressives who remember the Uyghurs could set up a pro-Uyghur encampment.)
Harvard informs us that climate change is an existential threat (then appoints a president with no training in science or engineering). Could a Stop Oil group camp out until Harvard agrees to stop consuming massive amounts of energy via heat and A/C?
Or, how about the flip side of the pro-Hamas group that occupied the Yard? Could a pro-Israel group set up tents to demand that Harvard make more investments in Israeli companies?
If the answer to all of the above is “No” then the natural question is why Harvard tolerated an anti-Israel encampment.
Related:
- From a friend in the Boston suburbs: “I saw a yard sign today in Lincoln: ‘Let Gaza live'” (My response: “It makes sense because most of them are followers of Greta Thunberg and she has abandoned climate change alarmism in favor of supporting Hamas.”)
- If you want to learn about people whom progressives used to care about, I recommend “Tibet: History, Culture, and Religion” (Great Courses). taught by Constance Kassor, PhD (she/her), a professor right near Oshkosh!
- from The Hill:
Can a Free Tibet, Stop Oil, or Pro-Israel group camp out in Harvard Yard? Yes!
Could a Free Tibet group camp out in Harvard Yard to demand that Harvard divest from companies that do business in China? Yes!
Could a Stop Oil group camp out until Harvard agrees to stop consuming massive amounts of energy via heat and A/C? Yes!
Or, how about the flip side of the pro-Hamas group that occupied the Yard? ok….
Could a pro-Israel group set up tents to demand that Harvard make more investments in Israeli companies? Yes!
If the answer to all of the above is “No” then the natural question is why Harvard tolerated an anti-Israel encampment. (the answer to all of the questions were Yes!)
Good point, the selection of “causes célèbres” by university demonstrators (“unhappy campers”) is less than perfect. Perhaps AI can help. I have posed the question to my friend ChatGPT. This is the response I got:
“Yes, AI can assist in identifying potential causes célèbres by analyzing various factors such as public sentiment, media coverage, social media trends, historical precedents, and cultural relevance. Through natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms, AI can sift through vast amounts of data to highlight issues that have the potential to capture public attention and mobilize support. However, the determination of what constitutes a “good” cause célèbre often involves subjective human judgment, as it depends on factors such as ethical considerations, societal impact, and alignment with values and principles. AI can provide valuable insights and assist in the process, but ultimately, human decision-makers need to evaluate the context and implications of potential causes célèbres.”
Apologies for the confusion. My previous post regarding the selection of “causes célèbres” veered off-topic. I shifted to another subject assuming the question was somewhat rhetorical. Certainly, “Can a Free Tibet, Stop Oil, or “Pro-Israel group camp out in Harvard Yard?” Only “causes célèbres” can justify encampments.
Is this camping option open to non-students? I think there were no affiliated people at other encampments. Camp in Harvard yard instead of (or on the way to) a national or state park etc if you are willing to display appropriate flags or banners.