{"id":2173,"date":"2025-07-30T19:49:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T19:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/07\/30\/oscr-charges-against-11-pro-palestine-student-activists\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T19:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T19:49:07","slug":"oscr-charges-against-11-pro-palestine-student-activists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/07\/30\/oscr-charges-against-11-pro-palestine-student-activists\/","title":{"rendered":"OSCR charges against 11 pro-Palestine student activists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Nearly three months after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/michigan-attorney-general-drops-charges-against-seven-umich-encampment-protesters\/\"> dropped<\/a> all criminal charges against seven protesters<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/michigan-attorney-general-announces-criminal-charges-against-11-protesters-connected-to-gaza-solidarity-encampment\/\"> arrested<\/a> for their involvement in the University of Michigan<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/24-hours-at-the-umich-gaza-solidarity-encampment\/\"> Gaza solidarity encampment<\/a>, the University has issued formal conduct complaints against 11 student protesters. The cases, which are being handled by the<a href=\"https:\/\/oscr.umich.edu\/\"> Office of Student Conflict Resolution<\/a>, are the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/umich-appeals-oscr-hearing-decision-against-pro-palestine-student-protesters\/\"> third<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/tahrir-coalition-holds-press-conference\/\"> round<\/a> of OSCR complaints involving protests tied to the ongoing war in Gaza and student demands for University divestment.<\/p>\n<p>The complaints stem from four demonstrations: the May 2024 police<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/breaking-gaza-encampment-removed\/\"> removal<\/a> of the Gaza solidarity encampment on the Diag, a May 2024<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/opro-palestine-protest-on-commencement-eve-met-with-police-force\/\"> demonstration<\/a> outside the <a href=\"https:\/\/umma.umich.edu\/\">University of Michigan Museum of Art<\/a> where the Board of Regents gathered for a gala, a July 2024 protest at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dpss.umich.edu\/\">Division of Public Safety and Security<\/a> panel for incoming students and an October 2024<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/tahrir-coalition-organizes-walkout-calling-attention-to-one-year-mark-of-israels-military-campaign-in-gaza\/#:~:text=About%20250%20University%20of%20Michigan,than%2090%20pro%2DPalestine%20organizations.\"> walkout<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The University has not publicly released the number of students charged in each case or the nature of the violations alleged. However, multiple students \u2014 U-M alum Eaman Ali; Rackham student Kathleen Brown, former U-M<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geo3550.org\/\"> Graduate Employees\u2019 Organization<\/a> vice president; and an undergraduate student who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, who we will refer to as John \u2014 confirmed to The Michigan Daily that they are facing OSCR hearings this month.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The allegations<\/strong><\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>According to documents reviewed by The Daily, John \u2014 who has previously gone through the OSCR process twice \u2014 is<a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1htPNxeWo-ABCAo5nWC-lQz8NVNuVvSwC\/view?usp=sharing\"> accused<\/a> of refusing to leave the area surrounding the UMMA on May 3, allegedly obstructing public safety operations by encircling police officers. John is also accused of entering the Power Center for the Performing Arts orientation event under false pretenses in July and leading a prolonged protest chant onstage.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with The Daily, John described how previous efforts at restorative justice with the University did not prevent this third round of charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn March, I met with several high profile members of the University and, essentially, the point of that meeting was to go forward on a restorative justice pathway for me to not get \u2018OSCRed\u2019 again,\u201d John said. \u201cI participated in those meetings in good faith. The point of restorative justice is to be learning points for the future. Now I am being sort of retroactively punished for events that happened before that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Ali, OSCR<a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1CohTMTCSFko3FqwA-STWerINwzg3t1y0\/view?usp=sharing\"> alleges<\/a> as written in an email sent to her by OSCR Director Erik Wessel that she failed to comply with police orders, physically obstructed officers and engaged in a physical altercation at the UMMA and October protests. Ali had previously been<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/umich-suspends-students-from-campus-jobs-for-participating-in-may-3-pro-palestine-protest\/\"> sanctioned<\/a> by U-M<a href=\"https:\/\/hr.umich.edu\/\"> Human Resources<\/a> in April, losing her campus job and being permanently barred from future employment at the University.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is alleged that you failed to comply with repeated lawful requests to leave the area surrounding the University of Michigan Museum of Art (\u201cUMMA\u201d) as police officers attempted to secure the entry and exit of several event attendees, then obstructed and disrupted public-safety activities of the University by encircling police officers attempting to disperse a crowd, engaging in a physical altercation with police officers and others, and impeding attempts by police officers to clear a path as they tried to leave the area upon the event\u2019s conclusion,\u201d Wessel wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><strong>Concerns about due process and policy shifts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Formal notices of complaint were issued more than six months after the relevant protests. According to the<a href=\"https:\/\/oscr.umich.edu\/statement\"> Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities<\/a>, conduct complaints must be submitted within six months unless the resolution coordinator deems a late submission \u201creasonable.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In letters to the students, Wessel wrote the delays stemmed from inadequate information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the Statement requires complaints to be submitted within six months of the incident occurring, the Resolution Coordinator may waive the six-month limitation when a late submission is reasonable,\u201d Wessel wrote. \u201cIn this matter, I have deemed the late submission of the complaint reasonable given that the information was not available to OSCR until recently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Ali\u2019s intake meeting, recorded by The Daily, Donovan Golich, the University\u2019s newly hired program manager for <a href=\"https:\/\/oscr.umich.edu\/article\/formal-conflict-resolution-fcr\">formal conflict resolution<\/a>, confirmed the delay.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI got this info in about April for the UMMA incident to be certain and it came from the University of Michigan Police Department,\u201d Golich said. \u201cIn some cases, I needed more info so I requested body cam footage. I requested the police to talk to me about the incident more; in some, even the police report was enough to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with The Daily, Brown said she was asked to provide quick-turnaround availability, which has undermined her ability to prepare a proper defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had my intake on July 16 and I\u2019m told that my hearing is going to be on July 28, and that\u2019s just no time at all,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThey\u2019ve had 14 months and now they\u2019re pushing me through this in one month and for me to prepare my case in a week, how am I able to effectively defend myself?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ali told The Daily she was also given little time to prepare for hearings scheduled over the summer, and expressed her belief that it was in an effort to bypass due process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe entire process has been so rushed,\u201d Ali said. \u201cMany of us haven\u2019t been given nearly enough time to FOIA police reports or police body camera footage that would be relevant to our case that Donovan Golich has had complete open access to. It\u2019s very clear OSCR is trying to rush this along in (an) attempt to disempower the respondents as much as they can from demanding due process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><strong>OSCR restructuring\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Multiple students emphasized that OSCR\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/violations-of-community-expectations-understanding-oscrs-formal-conflict-resolution\/\"> approach<\/a> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/umich-votes-to-change-to-student-statement-of-rights-and-responsibilities\/\">changed<\/a> in recent months after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/administration\/umich-regents-dismiss-nursing-professor-robert-stephenson-amend-non-academic-student-misconduct-statement\/\">July 2024 Regents meeting<\/a>, especially with the University now formally acting as a complainant in these hearings.<\/p>\n<p>Ali said she opposed the University\u2019s new ability to directly prosecute students through OSCR.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistorically, OSCR has been mediating issues and conflicts between students, not between students and the University,\u201d Ali said. \u201cIt\u2019s not clear who the University (is). Is it the students? Is it the staff? Is it the faculty? Or is it the Regents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>John said their intake experience was procedurally inappropriate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cDonovan Golich is both the complainant and the person facilitating the meetings,\u201d John said. \u201cPer the SSRR, the resolution coordinator is supposed to facilitate the intake meetings, not the complainant. It\u2019s such a significant perversion of justice here and a complete violation of the University\u2019s rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The conduct cases come as OSCR is about to undergo a significant structural shift. An OSCR student staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told The Daily in an interview that in the next few months, the office will split into two branches \u2014 a <a href=\"https:\/\/oscr.umich.edu\/RestorativeJustice\">restorative justice office<\/a> and a formal conflict resolution office \u2014 and will be housed under a new umbrella unit called Student Resolution Resources or Office of Student Accountability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis new OSA office is going to handle disciplinary cases, so things related to the Statement of Civil Rights and Responsibilities, if there\u2019s any violations of that,\u201d the staff member said. \u201cThis new office is going to be punitive and the old OSCR office is going to remain sort of what it was supposed to be \u2014 restorative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The staff member also said many OSCR staffers feel disillusioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of staff members are frustrated because when they entered this work, they thought it would be rooted in restorative justice,\u201d the staff member said. \u201cBut this new office is starting to feel like \u2026 the \u2018principal\u2019s office,\u2019 where you go there to get in trouble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-6    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>In addition, Golich said during the intake meeting he has been serving as an internal University investigator. Brown said she believes this new structure reflects an expansion of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/dpss-to-install-security-cameras-at-most-campus-building-entrances\/\"> surveillance<\/a> and control.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe University of Michigan Police working together with this new office and this new student investigator means that there\u2019s a huge expansion of policing that\u2019s taking place on campus because there are dedicated personnel who are paid to look through UMPD reports to find you and to punish you,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Claims of political retaliation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While much of the current OSCR activity centers on pro-Palestine protests, Golich said in Ali\u2019s intake meeting that OSCR\u2019s decisions are not guided by political or cultural affiliations, including his own.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeopolitical conflicts don\u2019t sway how I write my reports,\u201d Golich said. \u201cThat\u2019s not to say I don\u2019t have my own personal views, of course. I\u2019m Lebanese, my mother is Muslim, I grew up in Dearborn. I don\u2019t mind telling you guys all that because, guess what, it is very central to my identity and this job is hard because of that\u2026 I handle a lot of very tense conflicts involving a number of issues. And the end of the day, at most, the fact that they were at a protest is in the abstract.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Brown said she disagreed and believed the charges to be punishment for political dissent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just a politicized charge because they want to punish us,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a reflection of justice, especially when we have the genocide continuing on in Gaza, unevaded in this really final stage of mass starvation \u2014 to have the University doing this right now is just so offensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These charges occur as civil rights<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sugarlaw.org\/news\/2024\/12\/20\/hilgart-griff-et-al-v-um-regents-et-al\"> litigation<\/a> is ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/pro-palestine-activists-file-lawsuit-against-umich-over-alleged-violations-of-free-speech\/\">against<\/a> the Regents; former University President Santa Ono; Wessel; Martino Harmon, Vice President for Student Life; and others. The case, brought by the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sugarlaw.org\/\"> Sugar Law Center for Economic &amp; Social Justice<\/a>, alleges U-M officials used the student conduct process to retaliate against pro-Palestine activists.<\/p>\n<p>In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Kay Jarvis wrote the OSCR proceedings were reasonable under the circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtests are welcome at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests do not infringe on the rights of others, disrupt university operations or threaten the safety of the community,\u201d Jarvis wrote. \u201cThe university has been clear that we will enforce our policies related to protests and expressive activity, and that we will hold individuals accountable for their actions in order to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jarvis added that the University is considering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/5646\">broader changes<\/a> to their investigative processes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the new federal anti-hazing law, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, there is a need for a more robust investigation capacity for this and other needs,\u201d Jarvis wrote. \u201cThe university continues to explore administrative models that will support this work while maintaining OSCR\u2019s role serving the community through its well-respected restorative justice approach to conflict resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Senior News Editor Emma Spring can be reached at sprinemm@umich.edu<\/em>.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly three months after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel dropped all criminal charges against seven protesters arrested for their involvement in the University of Michigan Gaza solidarity encampment, the University has issued formal conduct complaints against 11 student protesters. The cases, which are being handled by the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, are the third [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2409,2407,2406,2408,87],"class_list":{"0":"post-2173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-activists","9":"tag-charges","10":"tag-oscr","11":"tag-propalestine","12":"tag-student"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2175,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions\/2175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}