UW System president, Jewish groups slam UWM agreement to end encampment

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The top official overseeing the Universities of Wisconsin on Tuesday criticized an agreement UW-Milwaukee reached with pro-Palestinian protestors to end the encampment on campus.

UW System President Jay Rothman said he was "disappointed" in the language UWM Chancellor Mark Mone agreed to include Sunday in the university's deal with protesters who'd set up tents outside Mitchell Hall for a span of 14 days.

"I am disappointed by the course taken by UW-Milwaukee," Rothman posted on the social media site, X. "And I am continuing to assess the decision-making process that led to this result."

The agreement called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, and it also used the term, "probable genocide." 

Miryam Rosenzweig, president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, said she was more disturbed by the language of the agreement than she was with any of the specific concessions.

"A school that is there to teach students how to navigate through information took very strong positions and named- used the word 'genocide' twice," she said. "One of the most egregious parts is where Chancellor Mone uses the term 'hostages' not only for the innocent who were taken and being held in Gaza, but for people who are in prison for terror activity. He compared them both, calling them both hostages."

The agreement specifically called for "release of the remaining Israeli and international hostages held by Hamas and the release of Palestinian men, women and children held as hostages in military detention in Israel. We condemn all violence and call for it to end."

Protesters have pointed to a finding by the International Court of Justice in January that found it was "plausible" Israel's conduct in Gaza could amount to genocide. The agreement cited that finding as well as a conclusion by a UN expert labeled "Anatomy of a Genocide."

That UN expert, Francesca Albanese, has drawn criticism in the past over her findings on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In February 2023, a bipartisan group of 18 U.S. House members called for the U.N. to strip Albanese of her duties.

The Jewish federation issued a joint statement Tuesday with Hillel Milwaukee and the Anti-Defamation League's Midwest chapter in condemning the UWM statement and called on the UW Board of Regents to step in and negate the agreement.

"I've been hearing from national organizations. I've been hearing from colleagues across the country," Rosensweig said. "This has made news because no one has seen such a bad statement that so clearly isolates the Jewish community."

CBS 58 reached out to the UWM Popular University for Palestine Tuesday. A member said the group was working on a statement, but nothing had been sent out as of late Tuesday night.

One condition of the agreement called for UWM leaders to facilitate a meeting between four members of the protest group with leaders of the separate UWM Foundation. A core demand of the protesters was for the foundation to disclose its list of investments and to redirect any dollars currently in funds connected to weapons manufacturing.

The agreement invited the protesters to name three to five faculty or academic staff to participate in a working group that will explore whether UWM should offer study abroad opportunities in Israel.

Mone also urged the Water Council, a collection of 230 regional water technology companies, to cut its two Israeli-owned companies that Amnesty International has accused of cutting off water access in Gaza.

In exchange, protesters removed the encampment by Tuesday morning with the help of UWM staff. The agreement pledges to forgo "citations or conduct violations" for protesters as long as the tents were gone and there are no disruptions to this week's commencement ceremonies. 

Rothman's statement indicated he worried the language of statement displayed bias on a complex subject.

"Maintaining viewpoint neutrality on challenging public issues is critically important," Rothman said. "Especially in situations where students and other university stakeholders on multiple sides of an issue are in vehement disagreement."

Mone has yet to agree to an interview or hold a press conference to explain his reasoning. Since the protest began, his only on-camera comments to reporters came last Tuesday when a CBS 58 reporter staked him out at his reserved parking spot.

A university spokesperson issued a statement Tuesday evening acknowledging Rothman's criticism, but it offered few other details.

"UWM is aware of the statement made by Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman," the statement read. "Chancellor Mone plans to address the process that led to the peaceful resolution of the encampment and other concerns in a broader statement soon."