On Friday, May 10, a group of people gathered in front of Richardson Hall, and made demands of the university regarding the war in the Middle East. These are similar to those demands recently made of numerous colleges and universities across North America. 

Some of those individuals later set up tents in the campus courtyard between Richardson Hall and Mackintosh-Corry Hall.  On Saturday, May 11, Principal Patrick Deane issued a statement regarding the encampment, and on Sunday, May 12, 2024, representatives of the Queen’s University senior administration met with representatives from among those persons currently occupying the tents in the courtyard. The following topics were discussed: 

Divestment and transparency

The university has adopted a Responsible Investing approach to its investments, and has a publicly available Responsible Investing Policy and a Responsible Investing website. The university is also committed to transparency in those investment activities, and voluntarily discloses detailed holdings information for its Pooled Endowment Fund (PEF) and Pooled Investment Fund (PIF). There are procedures within the investment policy that interested parties may follow to submit special requests related to university investments. The procedure outlines a process for members of the university community to submit a written case, accompanied by a petition, for a proposed action through the University Secretariat.

In advance of a scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees on May 10-11, and in accordance with the university’s Responsible Investing Policy, a group of Queen’s community members did provide such a written request, asking that the university consider divestment. This request was received by the University Secretariat and is being reviewed in accordance with the procedure. 

Following a review by the University Secretariat, the request will be forwarded to Principal Deane, who will convene an independent review committee. That committee will conduct a thorough examination of the matter, which includes holding in-depth consultations to ensure it considers the wide range of perspectives from across the campus community. The committee will provide appropriate recommendations for consideration, with final approval resting with the Board of Trustees. There will be opportunities for all those who have an interest in this matter to participate in this process.

Encampment

Queen’s University’s primary concern is for the safety of those within and surrounding the space participants are currently occupying on campus. 

Senior administrators met again with encampment representatives on May 14 to continue the dialogue and clearly outlined expectations for those who are present on Queen’s campus, which include adhering to the following restrictions:

• No harassment of staff, students, contractors, or visitors
• No damage to property
• No disrupting safe entry and exit for employees and students from buildings and other university grounds, facilities, and areas
• No blocking access to buildings and grounds
• No entry or attempted entry to locked buildings
• No entry to rooftops
• No attaching of anything to university buildings
• No fires, flames, camp stoves, propane or other fuel sources or use of portable generators

All persons on Queen’s campus are required to follow the safety and security directions of university officials. Individuals inside of locked buildings after hours may be asked to identify themselves, including showing a Queen’s University ID.

The safety and wellbeing of university staff, faculty, and students is the university’s utmost priority. As an educational institution, Queen’s supports and encourages respectful discourse and debate on campus and we ask all members of our community to be mindful of their role in creating an environment where differing views can be shared and challenged peacefully.