Board of Regents direction on protest activity

Campus and Community

July 12, 2024

At its meeting on July 11, 2024, Memorial’s Board of Regents discussed the university’s response to the demands presented by the MUN Students 4 Palestine group.

The discussion was focused on two issues: divestment and the joint statement.

The board has provided direction on two issues.

Divestment

The university will not divest of any university investments and it will endorse the commitments to enhanced transparency, responsible investing and support for students and scholars displaced by war, made by the university administration and shared publicly.

The board’s divestment decision was made in consideration of the board’s legal responsibility as a fiduciary for the pension plan and for university investments.

Joint statement

The Board of Regents supports a joint statement with Memorial University student unions that affirms our support for peace, freedom of expression and academic freedom, and denounces violence and acts of terror that have led to profound suffering around the world.

Since the board has made it clear that any joint statement must be developed with and endorsed by Memorial’s four student unions, we have asked the protest group to work with the leaders of our student unions to develop a process for moving forward with collaboration on a statement.

Since the protests began more than 50 days ago, various university leaders and board members have met with protestors multiple times. We have worked to address these concerns and we hope that protesters can recognize the changes that have resulted from their efforts.

The university has publicly disclosed its investments. We have made changes to enhance our commitment to responsible investment and support for students displaced by war.

From the beginning, our focus has been on the health and safety of the university community. This includes our responsibility to respond to the multiple concerns raised by other members of the Memorial community.

We recognize this has been a difficult time for many at Memorial. Memorial condemns the violence and acts of terror that have led to profound suffering for Palestinian and Israeli people. We acknowledge the members of our community who are in deep pain and join them in calling for the end to all violence against civilians. The targeted attacks on educational institutions in Gaza represent an assault on the very essence of education and academic freedom. We realize the impacts this has not just in that region but across communities and the broader academic landscape.

The university will continue its work towards improved transparency, responsible investing and increased supports for students impacted by war.