Colleges kowtow to protesters but are met with blowback from donors

Just The News Reports: Colleges that kowtow to anti-Israel protest encampments are in turn being kicked to the curb by major donors for it.

At least half a dozen colleges and universities have come to an agreement with anti-Israel protesters on campus over the past week, while other schools are not taking action to stop the illegal encampments. While the pro-Palestinian demonstrators celebrated the decisions as victories, donors are less than happy.

One of the most notable schools to reach an agreement with demonstrators is Brown University, where administrators last week committed to allowing students to speak with the school's investment advisory committee about divesting from Israel-linked companies before holding a vote on the matter. The agreement at Brown also stated that no one who participated in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment would face retaliation over the demonstration, and that students who participated would at worst be subjected to an Administrative Review Meeting, but they would not be at risk of being suspended or expelled.

Billionaire real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht, who has previously donated more than $20 million to Brown, said he "paused" donations to the school because he found the agreement with demonstrators "unconscionable."

Northwestern University went even further by agreeing to provide the "full cost of attendance for five Palestinian undergraduates to attend Northwestern for the duration of their undergraduate careers" and agreeing to fund two visiting Palestinian faculty members per year for two years. The school also agreed to re-establish an investment advisory committee and provide a building for Arab and Muslim students. The school also agreed to "allow one aid tent" to remain on campus and to "advise employers not to rescind job offers for students engaging" in campus protests.