Apparent agreement between administration and protesters at SUNY Purchase

The administration of Purchase College President Milagros (Milly) Peña and student and faculty protesters appear to have agreed on a solution to handle issues in the wake of the pro-Palestine protests that led to 70 arrests on the Purchase campus. Many students and some faculty failed to end their demonstration the night of May 2 when ordered to disband and police took them into custody, with arrested individuals temporarily held at various police departments in the county.

Peña issued a message to the Purchase College community that was shared with the Business Journal. Peña said:

“Last night I had what I believed was a productive meeting with students and faculty to discuss our path forward. We extended the conversation in good faith, and unfortunately there has been incorrect information shared about the content of the discussion.

Milagros Peña

“In full transparency, these were the points that were agreed upon:

  1. A commitment that a committee of students will meet with the relevant board to discuss ethical investing;
  2. A commitment to hold in abeyance any disciplinary consequences for those arrested on 5/2 contingent on the students committing no further actions that go against the student code of conduct or local, state, or campus policies;
  3. A commitment to a full review of the incidents of 5/2 by an entity outside of the campus;
  4. A commitment to transparency regarding the companies that engage in business with Purchase College;
  5. In the coming days I will share my thoughts with the campus community recognizing the loss of all innocent lives and how we can further the cause of lasting peace.

“Our progress together must be built on a relationship of trust. As was clear from the email from Faculty Presiding Officer Andrew Salomon below, at no point did the college agree to divest from Israel or take any ‘BDS action, (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) nor did we agree to any proposals beyond those described above.

“We reaffirm that everyone on this campus has the right to work and learn in a safe environment, free from discrimination and harassment. Our commitment is to provide an equitable educational environment, as per our legal, moral, and ethical duty, and I will continue to partner with all in the campus community who share this commitment.”

Andrew Salomon, faculty presiding officer at the college, issued the following message to the campus community:

“Today we had a productive meeting with President Peña, students, and faculty to discuss our path forward. The meeting demonstrates that by working together, we can strengthen our ties as a campus community. It is important to be clear about what was agreed to and what was not.

“It is important to note that at no point did anyone agree to divestment from Israel or to ‘BDS,’ which is outside the responsibility of any campus president and is inconsistent with the policies of SUNY and New York State.”