University of Waterloo agrees to disclose investment information, encampment protesters call it a win

The University of Waterloo has committed to being more transparent regarding the names of the companies it invests in, both directly and through pooled funds.

This decision was made at a rare special senate meeting at the university on Monday. As the meeting was held, members of the Occupy UWaterloo encampment held a rally outside, hoping to be heard by the university's decision-makers. The group set up an encampment on campus on May 13 and has called on the school to divest from all institutions supporting Israel in the midst of the ongoing war in Gaza.

Nick Manning, a spokesperson for the university, said the move to try and increase transparency began in early May, before the pro-Palestinian encampment was set up on campus. But, he said the encampment members "were a big part of bringing forward the issues" the senate is now discussing.

"These are big questions that are being asked. There are questions that can't be solved overnight," Manning said.

Manning said senate is hoping to have the disclosure ready to view no later than the first quarter of 2025.

Nick Joseph, spokesperson for the UW encampment, says this is a win for them.

"The community at large has been pretty upset and disappointed with the university. There have been donors who have withheld their donations. We've had community outreach. We've had mass e-mail campaigns. The university is undoubtedly pressured by what we're doing," Joseph said.

Joseph said he hopes this move sets a precedent for other universities with their own pro-Palestinian encampments.

"It was a huge morale boost to say the least. We've been here for so long and with the lack of communication from the university, it's easy for people to start thinking that that nothing's moving forward," he said.

"This was sort of validation that our efforts are actually working and they're material, they're tangible, they're achievable."

Guelph encampment turns down university proposal

At the University of Guelph, an encampment was set up on May 21. On June 7, administration entered into negotiation meetings with encampment members and offered to provide a disclosure of their annual investments — but only if the protesters first agreed to close the encampment.

A spokesperson for the group UoGForPalestine told CBC News they turned down the university's proposal because it did not include promises to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Urging the university to divest from those companies has so far been the protestors' main demand.

The university says if the protesters agreed to shut down the encampment, administrators would agree to:

• Providing annual disclosure of investments to the University of Guelph community.
• The establishment of scholarships for students displaced by conflict.
• Launching a review of the university's human rights policy.
• Attempts to better understand the lived experiences of the university's community using those with lived experiences to inform the university's anti-Palestinian racism and anti-Semitism training and education.

In an Instagram post, the group UOGForPalestine said the negotiations came to a "disappointing close," adding that "the administration [failed] to bring us an actionable proposal that addresses our demands for divestment."

The group said it presented its own list of steps the university could take to divest, but said university administrators "refused to work with us."

Encampment set up on University of Guelph campus

6 months ago

Duration 1:29

A group called UOGForPalestine has organized an encampment at the University of Guelph. They say it's "in solidarity with Gaza and as a continuation of our fight for the University of Guelph to divest from genocide." It was set up on Tuesday and there are approximately 20 tents in Branion Plaza, near the school's library. The university says it's aware of the encampment and has been in contact with the individuals involved "to remind them of campus policies" because encampments "go against university policies and are not permitted."

The university's president, Charlotte Yates, said in a statement online the necessary boards and committees at the university had already started the process of looking into divestment from the list of companies UOGForPalestine provided in late March.

Yates said it's a lengthy process and the boards will have to consider many factors such as the complexity of the investments in the portfolio, as well as the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of the board.