American University students vote down arming police, support divestment from Israel
American University students recently voted against arming campus police and supported resolutions advocating for divestment from companies linked to Israel.
Over 65% of students backed the BDS movement and accused the university of complicity in the "genocide" in Palestine.
American University (AU) students recently voted to support resolutions that called for the divestment from companies with financial ties to Israel and rejected the proposal to arm university police officers.
Around 2,000 students voted in the election, which was held on Oct. 11, according to The Eagle.
As part of the election, students voted on Referendum 19-003, which asked them whether AU Police Department officers should be allowed to carry firearms.
Most students opposed the referendum. Only 44% of students stated that they “trust” the police department to protect campus safety, yet the vast majority of students voted against arming the law enforcement officers.
Around 80% of students voted against sidearms and around 70% of students voted against the use of firearms in police squad cars.
A majority of American University students also voted in support of Resolution 19-018, which accused the university administration of “complicity in the genocide taking place in occupied Palestine” due to its financial ties to the state of Israel.
“[T]he threats posed by funding from certain industries… can only be adequately addressed through the outright rejection of funding,” the resolution asserted.
A majority of American University students additionally voted in support of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. Around 66% of students voted to remove institutional opposition to BDS, 65% of students voted to boycott companies with connections to Israel, and 55% voted to boycott academic programs in Israel.
“Should the American University Board of Trustees adopt a policy to disclose, boycott, divest, and sanction all corporations determined by Undergraduate Senate Resolution 19-018 to be complicit in the occupation and destruction of Palestinian life and land?” stated one of the questions in the referendum. 65% of students who participated in the election voted “yes.”
The American University’s Student Government Undergraduate Senate (SGUS) previously attempted to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel.
SGUS formed a commission earlier this year to research means of divestment.
“I would say our point is researching and presenting an action plan for student government and American University at large to divest from Israeli occupation and the genocide of Palestinian people and Palestinian land,” said SGUS member Hanna Hajdu.
Campus Reform has contacted American University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
