Anti-Israel encampment protesters rebuke UW-Madison for recommending disciplinary sanctions
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has endorsed sanctions for the pro-Palestine demonstrators who rocked the university’s campus during the spring semester.
Specific sanctions recommended by the university administration include disciplinary probation, according to The Daily Cardinal.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has endorsed sanctions for the pro-Palestine demonstrators who rocked the university’s campus during the spring semester.
Around three dozen students were under investigation by UW’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS) for non-academic misconduct.
Specific sanctions recommended by the university administration include disciplinary probation, according to The Daily Cardinal.
On Aug. 21, 17 students and staff members who were under investigation by the UW administration released a statement critiquing the university for its policy enforcement and doubling down on their previous pro-Palestine views.
“While the university is proud to highlight this history of student activism today, it has systematically targeted students, staff, faculty, and community speaking out in solidarity with Palestine,” the individuals under investigation stated, “on May 1st, 2024 the university sent four police departments to attack peaceful demonstrators, and now we see disciplinary investigations brought against individual students with little evidence.”
“The investigations were communicated to students by various members of the OSCCS under the guise of ‘open and honest discussion(s)... to advocate for [our]selves,’” the statement continued. “However, these disciplinary investigations appear to be targeted at silencing students and staff who have stood in solidarity with Palestine.”
The individuals under investigation concluded their statement by asserting that the investigation into their conduct is “unjust” and discriminatory.
“These disciplinary investigations are unjust, as they are based on weak evidence and designed to target students acting in solidarity with Palestine, and students intend to request hearings to challenge these preliminary decisions,” the group stated.
The students also slammed the school for the “chilling effect targeting pro-Palestine speech and affiliation with pro-Palestine organizations at this university.”
UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas told The Daily Cardinal that the school cannot release information about particular cases but stated that there are between 30–40 cases regarding the pro-Palestine encampment.
“We recognize that other institutions facing similar situations around the country may have handled student conduct differently and that some members of our campus community may have liked a different outcome as well,” he stated.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Wisconsin–Madison for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.