Detroit — Wayne State University officials said Tuesday the school is shifting to remote operations effective immediately because the pro-Palestinian encampment demanding university divestment from Israel and military manufacturers is posing "an ongoing public safety issue," which student protesters said is "ridiculous."
The remote learning shift during spring/summer semester came after university leaders met over the Memorial Day weekend with pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who set up the encampment last week, and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit,called for the university president and board of governors to negotiate a settlement. A university spokesman said the talks can't proceed until the camp is taken down.
Early Tuesday afternoon, student protesters said that they offered to meet with university officials at 6 p.m. Wednesday. University spokesman Matt Lockwood said Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Patrick Lindsey offered to meet Tuesday afternoon with President Kimberly Andrews Espy, board Chair Shirley Stancato.
But the university sent out statement Tuesday afternoon indicating the student protesters rejected the meeting, which encampment organizers later called "false information."
"Wayne State University is committed to free speech and the right to peacefully protest," WSU said in a statement. "President Espy has repeatedly offered to engage with students, while also emphasizing the need to dismantle the encampment.
"On Monday, there were calls from occupants of the encampment for President Kimberly Espy to meet directly with students. Today, in another response to those requests, President Espy, joined by Wayne State University Board of Governors Chair Shirley Stancato and Vice President of Government and Community Relations Patrick Lindsey, invited two students for an in-person meeting. President Espy and Governor Stancato were waiting in the Student Center, as VP Lindsey extended the invitation. The students declined to meet with President Espy."
Asked if Wayne State had plans to clear the encampment, Lockwood said earlier in the day there were no immediate plans, but he added, "It's a fluid situation."
Late Tuesday, student protesters said the university was issuing "blatant misinformation."
Lindsey singled out two non-Palestinian students for a meeting with university leaders "right now." The students responded that if the meeting were to include Espy, it should be held publicly because she allegedly has shut down previous Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) discussions in private meetings, the statement said. They suggested an initial conversation with Stancato and two other students. Lindsey allegedly indicated he would respond in 10 minutes, the statement said.
"Subsequently, the students reiterated their readiness to meet at 6:00 p.m.," according to the statement. "In a stunning turn of events, just minutes before the agreed-upon time, the university administration issued an email falsely claiming that the students had refused the opportunity to meet."
Wayne State student protesters are demonstrating after student encampments were started and cleared from many campuses across the country, said Ridaa Khan, a rising senior at WSU. Students at University of Michigan, Michigan State University and on campuses across the country have been calling for universities to divest from their endowment portfolio investments in Israel and weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas war. Many demonstrated by setting up camps in the final weeks of the traditional academic year that typically ends by April and have since been cleared by university leaders, police or negotiated agreements.
But Wayne State students have heard that the nationwide student protests have given the residents in Gaza hope, Khan said, so it is important to show that the movement is still alive even if only 10,000 students are taking spring/summer classes and the 23,000 students who are enrolled during fall and winter semester are home for summer.
'Movement isn't dying'
"The student movement isn't dying," said Khan, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, WSU chapter, which organized the encampment.
The WSU encampment, set up Thursday, is on Gullen Mall near the undergraduate library and State Hall, with about 50 tents, a kitchen, books, chairs and signs around it such as "Free Palestine." On Tuesday, the crowd was small but many exuded determination.
Ali Hassan, a Wayne State rising junior, said the students have been lobbying the board and university leaders on divestment, but have not made any headway. He scoffed at university leaders referring to their protest as "trespassing," since he said they are camped on public grounds. He said protesters can't agree to dismantle the camp without university leaders agreeing to negotiate on divestment.
"They want to decrease our numbers, deplete our morale," said Hassan, who is president of WSU's Muslim Coalition.
Wayne State needs to address the students' demands, Hassan said, not clear their encampment.
"This is an educational piece," he said. "People should come see this and come talk to us and ask questions. ... I would love to educate people on the genocide of Palestinian people."
Board is 'confident' in Espy
The WSU encampment comes amid the war started on Oct. 7 after Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people, most civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages. Since then, the Palestinian death toll has exceeded 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and noncombatants in its tally. On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but an air strike killed at least 45 people over the weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a “tragic mistake” had been made.
In a statement Monday, Espy said she was writing after reading about the the last 24 hours in Rafah in Gaza.
"I am reaching out tonightwith a heavy heart," Espy said. "These events are truly tragic."
The president wrote that the encampment occupants had cleared two walkways leading to State Hall so buildings could be accessed and Lindsey visited again with a group of the protesters and told them they "are trespassing and asked that the encampment be dismantled immediately."
"Part of that discussion, which you can watchhere,involved a request to schedule a meeting with university leadership," Espy said. "After additional consultation, VP Lindsey returned to the encampment and offered a Tuesday meeting with university leadership if the encampment was removed by the end of the day Monday. This offer was a good faith attempt to find a path to dismantle the encampment. Though this offer wasimmediately declined, university leadership continues to encourage dialogue and meetings with all students to hear, discuss, and address important concerns."
More:Wayne State demands breakup of camp as Tlaib urges Espy to meet with protesters
Stancato could not be reached for comment. But board Vice Chair Bryan Barnhill II said the board has been receiving regular updates, reached a consensus on how to proceed and is "confident" in how the situation will be handled by police and Espy.
"We are confident in the ability of public safety officials to manage the situation, and we are confident in the president and her leadership team to effectively manage the situation with care and respect for all parties," Barnhill said.
Remote study until further notice
But Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers of Brighton, who is running for the U.S. Senate nomination, attacked Tlaib's involvement with the encampment and called for Espy's resignation if the camp isn't torn down.
"The lawlessness on Wayne State’s campus is completely unacceptable and is punishing law abiding students," said Rogers, a former chairman of the U.S. House intelligence committee. "The fact Rashida Tlaib is aiding and abetting this antisemitism is reprehensible. We must do better to protect Jewish students and all members of our communities. That includes holding our universities accountable, which is why President Espy must remove this encampment or resign."
State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, said he stayed the night in the encampment Monday when there was word that WSU police might clear the protest.
"These students are exercising their right to free speech and to protest, and to demand better of the school," said Aiyash, who is majority floor leader in the Michigan House of Representatives. "I wanted to support them and let them know there are leaders that stand with them across the state and support them."
Aiyash said he was not aware of details of any conversation between university leaders and the student protesters.
Earlier in the day, WSU posted on the social media X that remote operations would remain in effect on its Detroit campus until further notice.
"With public safety concerns due to the fluid situation at the encampment, university leadership decided to shift to remote operations until further notice," Lockwood said via email on Tuesday. "We have told the organizers to remove the encampment several times, and they have declined to do so."
He did not immediately respond to a question about whether police will clear the encampment. Police officials could not be reached for comment.
The encampment at Wayne State came two days after the removal of one at the University of Michigan that had been up since late April.
kkozlowski@detroitnews.com
