Protesters are angry about WMU’s declaration of war in Gaza

KALAMAZOO, MI – Critics of Western Michigan University’s handling of the Gaza war are unhappy with the university’s recent statement on the conflict.

More than a dozen people spoke out against this statement at a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, June 27.

The WMU Divestment Coalition, a group of three WMU students and one alumnus, met with university officials for six weeks to draft the statement, but the statement released on June 18 does not reflect what the two parties had agreed to, a representative of the protesters said.

A WMU representative said the statement goes as far as the university can go without “taking sides” in the conflict.

However, some speakers at the meeting said that “neutrality” was not enough.

“We don’t teach that the Germans in the 1930s also had good arguments,” says Roland Bissonnette, a WMU graduate. “Neutrality doesn’t help anyone when people are dying. … It’s always worth taking a stand and standing up for what’s right.”

In his statement, WMU President Edward Montgomery called the ongoing war a “humanitarian conflict” and said “hostilities abroad are being intensely debated both in the region and here at home.”

“(The statement) would be consistent with the university’s role in promoting free expression and an environment where people with different views do not feel oppressed,” Paula Davis, WMU’s director of strategic communications, told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette.

The university agreed to negotiate with the group of pro-Palestinian protesters after they set up a tent camp on campus in April. At the time, WMU encouraged the group to protest, but said setting up tents was against university policy. The group broke up the camp on the condition that the university would negotiate on several demands.

RELATED: WMU sends police to campus during Gaza protest to ban tents and overnight camping

Marissa Wagner, a representative of the protest group, said they decided to address the statement first on their list of demands because they thought it would be easiest.

“We spent the whole time discussing the wording and the details, only for President Montgomery to completely ignore all of those negotiations and instead make the statement he wanted,” Wagner said.

Montgomery did not attend any of the meetings, Wagner said. Davis said Montgomery selected members of his cabinet to attend the meetings on behalf of the university. Montgomery was regularly briefed and provided insight into the discussions, Davis said.

“Cabinet members have invested a lot of time in these in-depth discussions over the past two months,” Davis said. “We have also spent countless hours researching the issues and concerns raised.”

Montgomery addressed the criticism at the board meeting, saying the university should not subject the beliefs of staff, faculty, students and alumni to a “litmus test.”

“As a research university, our mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge. We do this by creating an atmosphere and environment that encourages the exchange of ideas so that the pursuit of truth and understanding can be developed,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery said that failure to protect free speech and academic freedom would jeopardize “the very raison d’être of the university.”

Wagner said that if the university had not called the conflict a genocide in the statement or called for a ceasefire, it would have demanded that the statement also include casualty figures from the conflict. However, such figures are not included in the statement. Wagner said the use of vague language underestimates the impact of the war on Gaza.

“This is about educating people,” said Wagner. “A large part of the population is simply not aware of the full extent of what is going on.”

Aya Zahreddine, a third-year student at WMU, agreed, saying at the meeting that the conflict has a direct impact on students.

“When it comes to my people, I have to explain why genocide has to be talked about. It breaks my heart,” Zahreddine said.

Davis said it is the responsibility of government authorities to classify Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. Davis also said it is not “the role of the WMU to determine the terms, timing or conditions for ending the war abroad.”

Davis said the university will incorporate the war in Gaza into WMU’s “We Talk” discussion series.

“The purpose of We Talk is to foster a culture of responsible and respectful civic, social, political and conceptual engagement,” the university’s website states.

Wagner said the group plans to continue negotiations with the university and currently has no plans to set up another camp. They are also planning how best to engage with the student body when fall classes begin.

Diane Anderson, vice president for student affairs, said the university is ready to return to the negotiating table and the two parties plan to talk about divestment next.

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