Emory students pass no-confidence vote against president after cops disperse anti-Israel camp
Only 42 percent of undergraduate students took part in the vote.
The measure comes after Emory University police helped end a disruptive anti-Israel encampment on the Georgia school’s campus.
Students at a private southern school are criticizing their school president after police dispersed a disruptive anti-Israel protest on campus.
Undergraduate students at Emory University in Georgia passed a “no confidence” vote in university President Greg Fenves on May 8.
42 percent of the undergraduate student body took part, and of those who voted, 73 percent voted to censure Fenves.
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The move comes after Emory police, together with Georgia law enforcement, dispersed the school’s anti-Israel encampment on April 25, resulting in the arrests of almost 30 of the disruptive demonstrators.
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Universities and Police will be watching to see how Emory / UT Austin approach works vs Columbia letting them stay and USC / LAPD ‘de-arresting’ https://t.co/pB4VzUjvlt— Brendan (@BrendanMcInnis) April 25, 2024
The protesters gathered not just to voice their condemnation of the Jewish State, but also to oppose the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a “new public safety training center to support [Atlanta’s] need for dedicated training space with modern facilities for personnel.”
The institution will “allow sworn officers, civilian responders, firefighters, EMS, and E-911 staff to train locally and collaboratively, using modern philosophies and methodologies rooted in harm reduction.”
Noëlle McAfee, Philosophy Chair at the university and one of the individuals arrested during the anti-Israel protest, said: “Even though there is no real juridical power to the vote of no confidence . . . [Fenves] is not their legitimate leader in their eyes anymore.”
After meeting with students and before the vote of no confidence was passed, Fenves clarified: “I am not considering and I don’t support Emory divesting from Israel.”
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Before the undergraduate vote of no confidence was passed, the Faculty Senate for Emory College of Arts and Sciences passed its own no confidence resolution against Fenves by a vote of 358 to 119.
None of the votes has the power to remove Fenves from office.
The school is also under investigation by the Department of Education for alleged “anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian activity at the college.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Emory University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.