Wesleyan University strikes agreement with Hamas-endorsed campus occupiers, will vote on divestment
Wesleyan University administrators reached a deal with anti-Israel campus occupiers that ended the encampment in exchange for a vote on divestment.
Wesleyan University administrators reached a deal with anti-Israel campus occupiers that ended the encampment in exchange for a vote on divestment.
According to the Hartford Courant, the Wesleyan Board of Trustees pledged to make a vote on divesting from Israel. The vote could come as early as Sept. 22.
Administrators also agreed to to disclose investments the university holds in defense industries and Israeli companies, but the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter wanted a complete divestment.
“While we celebrate these actions, we are deeply disappointed that the University has delayed the processes of commitment to full divestment, disclosure, academic boycott, and continues to target vulnerable student protestors,” the group wrote on Sunday in an Instagram post.
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University officials claim that 0.4% of its investment portfolio was in Israeli software companies and another 1.7% in aerospace and defense companies as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth wrote following the agreement that “It is always important that we maintain a safe enough environment on campus for people who disagree with one another and who embrace opportunities to learn from people with various points of view.”
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”Yes, protests are demanding for all constituencies of a university. At their best, they help turn our attention to issues that really matter. I am hopeful that soon we can re-direct our collective efforts to urging our lawmakers, both here in Connecticut and in Washington DC, to do everything in their power to create a resolution in Israel and Gaza that will result in the return of the hostages, an end to the fighting, and a commitment to a process that will recognize the rights of all parties,” Roth wrote.
