Dear USF Students, Faculty, and Staff,
In my continuing efforts to provide timely and transparent updates regarding the encampment on Welch Field, I am sharing with you information regarding a meeting this morning that I held with several members of my administration and several student leaders of the Welch Field encampment. I have included below a message sent this afternoon to the students participating in the encampment. You’ll read that it summarizes our meeting and describes our next steps.
As we dialogue in good faith with the students demonstrating on Welch Field, I want to underscore that I am deeply concerned about the needs of all members of this diverse community. I am extremely troubled by incidents that Jewish and Israeli members of our community — students, faculty, librarians, and staff alike — have reported related to hateful speech, harassment, experiencing fear on campus, and other acts of discrimination. We see you, we hear you, and we know there is pain. We are trying to find our way forward peacefully.
No one at the University of San Francisco should experience this. All reports of antisemitism will be investigated and perpetrators will face repercussions, according to our Student Code of Conduct and university standards. If any members of our community are feeling unsafe, please consult the following resources:
- Bias, Education, Response, and Training (BERT): bert@usfca.edu
- Dean of Students: deanofstudents@usfca.edu
- Human Resources: humanresources@usfca.edu
- Whistleblower reports
Please note there is a new information resource available on myUSF where we post updates related to the encampment and demonstrations.
Sincerely,
PJF
Dear Members of the People’s University of Palestine,
Thank you for your time this morning to engage in conversation to find a peaceful path forward together. In our meeting today (May 13, 2024) with student leaders and faculty advisers of the Welch Field encampment, the university administration discussed demonstrators’ requests and next steps.
Following is an update on this process and a recap of key requests and agreements that were discussed during our meeting today. We will also distribute a message with this information to all USF students, faculty, and staff today. This message and previous university emails to the community providing updates on this topic are now available on myUSF.
Please note that we are committed to continuing these conversations and dialogues with you around critical issues. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring the safety and orderly operation of our educational enterprise, including facilitating final exams and supporting commencement celebrations for all members of this university community.
As we discussed in our meeting this morning, the university affirms that, for students who voluntarily vacate Welch Field by 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, there will be no code of conduct repercussions for those who violated time, place, and manner restrictions from April 29 to May 14 related to the establishment or activities of the encampment. (Other violations of university standards, including but not limited to, vandalism and harassment, known or not yet known, are not included in this amnesty.) For those students who do not vacate the field by 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, there will be no amnesty and the code of conduct process for time, place, and manner violations will commence immediately. A reminder with more information will be sent Tuesday morning by the dean of students.
The requests that we received from you today have expanded in scope from the requests presented last week. These new requests that were brought forward to university administration for the first time in writing today were discussed by all participants. The following is a summary of what the university has committed to as next steps.
- The USF administration again calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region, and for peace with justice, which requires an end to all violence. Our hearts break for the suffering and death of the innocent, including the tens of thousands of Palestinian people killed and wounded; and those killed, wounded, and taken hostage during the assault by Hamas on Oct. 7. Fr. Fitzgerald committed to continuing conversations with academic experts and others regarding the definition of genocide and U.S. support of Israel’s military operation. It is the university’s role to create spaces for civil discourse and critical analyses in the spirit of academic freedom, respect for universal human dignity, and critical engagement with the most important questions of the day. The university commits to exploring how we can do that together.
- The university committed to giving encampment organizers one dedicated seat on the soon-to-be-implemented Socially Responsible Investment Task Force. This seat will be held by a member of the encampment who will be an enrolled USF student in good standing in the fall 2024 semester. We have received the ask for a second dedicated seat. We committed to implementing this task force in the fall 2024 semester. The USF administration commits to communicating with you throughout the summer to report on progress in establishing the task force and researching the expanded scope of your requests that were presented today. You will receive an additional update by 5 p.m. Wednesday. This timing does not preclude work happening throughout the summer. Together, we will work through what was outlined in ASUSF’s resolution and in your request #2 regarding disclosure and divestment.
- We are gathering information regarding requests concerning academic opportunities, trips, and relationships with Israel. While we do not have academic partnerships with Israeli institutions, we underscore our deep commitment to programs that open critical dialogue, share multiple perspectives, and build mutual understanding. We will continue to respect and support the academic freedom of our faculty who may choose to study Israel and partner with Israeli scholars and institutions. In addition, we are committed to consulting with relevant academic units regarding strengthening the curriculum and the academic study of Palestine and Palestians. We will also work to provide opportunities for research focused on Palestine studies and identify pathways to support displaced Palestinian students and scholars.
- USF protects the rights of all students, faculty, and staff to express their views peacefully and respectfully while also assuring the safety of all members of our community. The deeply held tenet of our mission and values protects Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab members of our community alongside all other members of our richly diverse community, including Israeli students attending USF and Jewish students who are full and respected members of our university community. We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, or intimidation of any individuals or groups. Violations will be investigated through our conduct process. If any members of our community are feeling unsafe please consult the following resources:
- Bias, Education, Response, and Training (BERT): bert@usfca.edu
- Dean of Students: deanofstudents@usfca.edu
- Human Resources: humanresources@usfca.edu
- Whistleblower reports
In keeping with the priorities outlined by the administration since the beginning of the encampment, USF is committed to prioritizing safety, freedom of expression, respect for all members of the community, and engagement in critical topics that is free of discrimination, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and all forms of hate speech.
We are thankful to all who are participating in the charting a peaceful path forward.
Sincerely,
Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. President
Eileen Fung, Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs
Julie Orio, Vice President, Student Life
Lester Deanes, Assistant Vice President, Student Engagement