Students at the University of Michigan Central Student Government (CSG) have brought forward Assembly Resolution 15-051, The Divest for Humanity Act, a BDS resolution, to be voted on the night of November 18. It states that Israel is committing a genocide and urges the university to investigate “whether investments in companies and financial institutions that are linked to the government of Israel are antithetical to the core missions of the University of Michigan.”
The resolution also asserts claims that Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity and “urges the University of Michigan Board of Regents to follow their own divestment process created after the U-M divestment from South Africa to create an Ad Hoc Committee consisting of members of the University Senate, students, staff and alumni.”
This would include an investigation and provide recommendations on how the university should proceed, providing recommendations “for when any divestment should end, if the Ad Hoc Committee determines that divestment is the best course of action.”
Endorsers of the resolution include the LSA Student Government, Palestinian Empowerment Foundation, Law Students for Justice in Palestine, College Democrats at The University of Michigan, and Michigan Institute for Progressive Policy (MIPP).
According to LSA Representative in the CSG Meyer Cusnir, a junior, the university “is home to one of the most diverse student communities in the nation. This BDS resolution will not advance coexistence, peace, justice, or safety for Palestinians, Israelis, or any member of our campus community. Instead, it furthers division at a time when we should strive for dialogue and mutual understanding. Now more than ever, it’s essential to encourage genuine collaboration and truth-based conversations that bring our community together rather than drive it apart.”
The newest resolution is not the first time the University of Michigan has put forward a BDS resolution. Past leaders at the university have rejected calls to divest from Israel.
The attempt to pass this bill reveals the truth: that ‘everyone’ does not include Jewish students.” – Addison Stone
Addison Stone, another student at the school and a junior, said, “This current ‘Divest For Humanity Act’ is an attempt by certain members of Central Student Government to formally delegitimize the state of Israel. From a governing body that is supposedly focused on ‘enhanc[ing]… the Michigan experience for everyone,’ the attempt to pass this bill reveals the truth: that ‘everyone’ does not include Jewish students.”
