Columbia University President Minouche Shafik had set a midnight Tuesday deadline for an agreement to clear the encampment, and early Wednesday, the university said there had been “constructive dialogue” and that talks would continue for 48 hours. The statement said that the student protesters “would ensure that non-Columbia affiliates leave and that only Columbia students participate in the protest.” The student protesters will also comply with city fire code requirements and “have taken steps to make the encampment welcoming to all and have prohibited harassing or discriminatory language,” the statement said. The university’s statement came hours before U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was scheduled to travel to Columbia to meet with Jewish students and address anti-Semitism at campus protests over Israel. The Ivy League university said in a statement that the student protesters “have committed to dismantling and removing a significant number of tents,” though a smaller encampment remained on the Manhattan campus early Wednesday. Dozens have been arrested on charges including trespassing and disorderly conduct as college students have staged demonstrations over Israel’s war with Hamas, demanding that schools divest from companies that do business with Israel. Universities have cracked down with more-forceful discipline, citing safety concerns. The protests have been going on for months but gained new urgency after the arrests last week at Columbia. On Monday, police said 133 protesters were arrested at New York University but that all had been released. The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel’s assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, have said much of the criticism of Israel has veered into anti-Semitism and that they have been made to feel unsafe, noting that the militant group Hamas still holds captive two Israeli soldiers it seized in a July 8 cross-border raid. The demonstrations have flared at colleges across the United States since Hamas militants in southern Israel killed 13 Israelis, most of them civilians, and captured two soldiers on July 8. In the ensuing war, Israel killed more than 1,400 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and noncombatants but says at least two-thirds of those killed were civilians, including many women and children. Other protests have taken place at campuses in states including California and Texas. What does Biden say? At a news conference, the White House press secretary said that “the president believes that freedom of speech and debate are important on college campuses.” “We believe that people can express themselves peacefully. But when we’re talking about hateful rhetoric, when we’re talking about violence, we need to call that out,” said the press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. See images of the protests in Texas in the gallery above. Also Read: US considers mass graves in Gaza "worrying" and "disturbing" (Portuguese version)