Duke admins will only continue negotiations after students leave the Allen Building

University administrators announced Monday afternoon in an email statement to The Chronicle that they will only continue negotiations with the nine students sitting in the Allen Building if the students leave the building.

"Closing the Allen Building while these negotiations go on has presented a significant disruption to students, faculty, staff and visitors, and cannot continue indefinitely. As a result, the university will only continue negotiations after the nine students voluntarily leave the Allen Building," the statement, which can be viewed in its entirety below, reads.

The announcement comes after Executive Vice President Tallman Trask issued a public apology earlier Monday afternoon for hitting contract parking employee Shelvia Underwood with his car and administrators granted those orchestrating the sit-in amnesty late Sunday night.

Administrators previously had said students would be asked to leave Sunday before allowing the students to stay inside Sunday night and Monday and closing the building for business Monday.

The full statement can be viewed below:

The Duke administration has worked very hard with the students who currently occupy the Allen Building to enable productive discussions, including providing amnesty to the nine students in the building and offering solutions to several of their demands. 

So far, the students have met with President Brodhead, Provost Kornbluth, Vice President for Student Affairs Moneta, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Wasiolek and Dean and Vice Provost Nowicki, as well as faculty leaders.

Closing the Allen Building while these negotiations go on has presented a significant disruption to students, faculty, staff and visitors, and cannot continue indefinitely.  As a result, the university will only continue negotiations after the nine students voluntarily leave the Allen Building.

The university is committed to completing these negotiations and reaching a mutually agreeable resolution in a peaceful and productive way.

Check back for updates on this developing story.