Students at Emory University in Atlanta approve resolution of censure against their president

Fenves was criticized by some students and faculty for his initial response to an encampment set up by students on campus a few weeks ago to call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas and to oppose to plans to build a public center in Atlanta. safety training center. Although protesters say the encampment was peaceful, police made several arrests and used chemical irritants to disperse the crowd.

Fenves initially said “highly organized outside protesters” were responsible for the demonstrations, but later walked back those comments. Fifteen of the 23 people arrested on April 25 were students.

The university said in a statement about the referendum that “31% of all undergraduate students voted in favor of the motion. While we take the concerns expressed by members of our community seriously, members of the Emory community share a wide range of views that are not reflected in the motion passed by SGA.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

A day before the voting period opened, former Student Government Association President Khegan Meyers said the results would demonstrate “the community standard that students demand from the president” when it comes to responses from the police to student protests on campus.

“I think the message that a vote will send is about the expectations that a president should have when seeking to make decisions regarding outside police forces on our campus, the use of force on our campus, how the phrase is addressed on our campus,” Meyers said.

Emory College of Arts and Sciences faculty members on Friday overwhelmingly approved a non-binding “censorship” vote in Fenves, condemning the “violence” and use of force on April 25 to disperse the camp . This is the largest group of professors at the university.

On Monday, Fenves announced that the university would move its campus commencement ceremonies to the Gas South district in Duluth. Fenves said security concerns led officials to move graduation ceremonies inside the complex, which includes the Gas South Arena and the Gas South Convention Center. The complex is 22 miles from campus. Fenves acknowledged in a message to the campus community Monday that the decision would be “deeply disappointing” for many.

Students on several campuses across the country have staged various forms of anti-war protests during commencement ceremonies in recent days, the latest phase of ongoing campus protests that began about several weeks ago. The protests sparked concerns about anti-Semitism from several Jewish student organizations and elected officials.

On Tuesday, the White House announced efforts to protect Jewish students on college campuses. The initiatives include new guidance on providing examples of anti-Semitic discrimination, as well as other forms of hate, that could lead to investigations for federal civil rights violations. The US State Department will also bring together technology companies to identify best practices for combating anti-Semitic content online.