What comes next for the pro-Palestine protesters at UW?

On Friday, University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce announced the school had reached an agreement with the leaders of an encampment of students protesting the war in Gaza.

As part of that agreement, students had until 3 p.m. Monday to clear the area where they’d been living in tents since April 29.

There are 14 points listed in the agreement, including representation for protestors on a divestment committee and scholarships for 20 displaced Palestinian students.

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But there was also a lot left on the table, said Sofia Schwarzwalder, news editor for UW's student newspaper The Daily.

"This agreement that they've reached is pretty far from their main demands that they had of the university," Schwarzwalder explained, "especially the first two, where they were asking them to materially and academically divest from Israel and cut all ties with Boeing."

While the encampment was erected less than a month ago, this agreement represents months of student activism. Schwarzwalder said it first became clear that UW students would be vocal about Israel and Palestine just a few days after October 7 — the day Hamas militants attacked Israel — when a large pro-Palestinian rally was held on Red Square, a large open plaza on campus.

Since then, there have been coordinated efforts including small rallies, educational programming, and protests.

There have been some complaints about the methods used by protestors.

While no student violence broke out at the protests, Cauce condemned recent graffiti and vandalism on multiple buildings across campus.

RELATED: UW president repeats call for pro-Palestinian camp to disband following graffiti, vandalism on campus

Schwarzwalder also described being harassed at a protest organized by the United Front for Palestinian Liberation in the beginning of April, before the encampments were set up. Schwarzwalder said she was called a "disgusting person of color" for coming to the event as a reporter, rather than as a participant.

"There's been a growing distrust of the media and also the narrative that it often chooses to portray," Schwarzwalder said. "That plays into the dynamic that was then created between the protesters and their level of distrust."

But, being able to speak with the press is a necessity for any protest group, she said. It's how fellow UW students, and the general public, can understand protestors' demands.

Since that protest in early April. Schwarzwalder said she saw a shift in how student protestors responded to reporters.

"Over time, being out there for several hours a day, every single day since this has started, I think that there was a level of mutual trust and respect that was built," she said. "I believe what gave me the opportunity to cover this event properly and to work with these organizers and media liaisons was the fact that there was consistently unbiased coverage that, over time, allowed them to recognize that there would be value in not only cooperating with The Daily but also using us as a platform for them to get their message across."

Schwarzwalder said she'll be watching to see how organizers carry momentum forward now, especially with graduation drawing near. With thousands of people expected to attend, it would be a large audience for a statement or organized protest.

"These organizers have said that they are very committed to continuing both the momentum but also the pursuit of further change beyond what is in the agreement," Schwarzwalder said. "It could take really any shape or form at this point, and there's no saying what happens as the encampment wraps up."