To our campus communities,
Earlier today, the University became aware that members of our community have come together to form an encampment to protest issues related to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza. The encampment is on Waterloo’s main campus, on the green space next to the Grad House.
This University strongly supports individual rights to freedom of expression and assembly – this includes the right to demonstrate or protest. The freedom to speak or express yourself and to examine, question, teach and learn are central to our purpose – and we all have a responsibility to uphold these freedoms. We have shared more information on our policies on free expression online.
The gravity of the current conflict weighs heavily on us all, and we must remember that members of our community are affected in many different ways.
All members of our community are free to express their views, but we must aim to maintain a supportive, respectful and tolerant environment for everyone. We will not tolerate any form of violence or hate speech. Our top priority is the health and safety of our community.
Since the encampment formed earlier today, the University has:
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Opened a dialogue with those protesting via conversations with the Associate Provost, Students
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Alerted the campus community through the University’s safety app WatSAFE of the location of the protest and asked community members to stay away from the area so that Special Constables can ensure the safety of the broader community and those protesting
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Formed a group of senior leaders responsible for all aspects of safety and communications for the duration of the encampment
We intend to remain in dialogue with the organizers of the protest to ensure that the encampment remains safe for everyone on the campus. We will also be focussed on ensuring that we can maintain the normal operations of the University.
Addressing the protestors' calls
We are aware from our dialogue with the protestors and their social media feeds that they have specific demands for action around disclosure of current University investments and academic partnerships, divestment from companies named on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions list, and a complete severance from any academic or cultural institutional ties with Israeli institutions.
The University has committed to considering the issues raised regarding investments at both the Finance & Investment committee and the Pension Investment committee of the Board of Governors. Both committees are already working to look again at reporting on investments and the ESG factors that fund managers consider. An update will be provided at the June meeting of our Board of Governors.
The University will also consult on and develop guidelines on institutional partnerships. This work will be informed by the outcomes of the Taskforce on Free Expression which is set to report in the coming months and the new institutional values, to be considered by the Board in June.
We know that some activities held on our campuses in the form of protest or demonstration recently have challenged other people’s sense of safety on campus. Sometimes the people protesting have felt their safety is threatened during their protest as well. That’s why we are committed to sharing as much information as we can about the ongoing encampment and about our actions – to ensure that those who may be affected both inside of it and in the broader community can be confident that safety is our top priority.
If you experience instances of hate, antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism or Islamophobia, you can email gethelp@uwaterloo.ca. Folks can also continue to report to supervisors, or to the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism.
We don’t know how long this protest will continue, but we do know that you will all ensure that our University remains a place where we can come together to learn, work and build community.
If you have questions or concerns about the encampment, please contact: communications@uwaterloo.ca.
Thank you for supporting each other.
James W.E. Rush
Vice-President, Academic and Provost
Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Provost
Jacinda Reitsma
Vice-President, Administration and Finance
Office of the Vice-President, Administration and Finance