GSG forum debates divestment in preparation for graduate student referendum

The Graduate Student Government helda forum on Tuesday to discuss the divestment referendum that the graduate student body will vote on from Wednesday through Friday.

Similar to the referendum that the undergraduate study body voted on last week, the graduate students' referendum calls upon the trustees of the University and the Princeton University Investment Company to “divest from multinational corporations that maintain the infrastructure of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, facilitate Israel’s and Egypt’s collective punishment of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or facilitate state repression against Palestinians by Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian Authority security forces, until these corporations cease such activities.”

The University should not benefit from the conflict in Israel, Kelly Roache GS said on behalf of Princeton Divests.

“The University’s current investment practices are inimical to Palestinian human rights and Palestinian dignity, and it is incumbent upon us to end our complicity in that action and stand up,” Roache said.

While multinational corporations might participate in the Israeli conflict because of foreseeable profit, their involvement causes the average Palestinian to suffer, Alexander Berg GS, another representative of Princeton Divests, said.

Though students cannot know exactly which companies the University’s endowment is invested in, there are several known “economic ties” to companies like Caterpillar and Motorola, Roache said. She added that Caterpillar’s bulldozers have been involved in the destruction of Palestinian homes, while Motorola has also contributed to maintaining Israeli occupation.

On behalf of No Divest, Avital Ludomirsky GSsaid that since fear and violence are very real on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an open dialogue — rather than divestment — is necessary.

“It’s exciting that there’s so much political activism on campus now, more than when I was here [as an undergrad],” Ludomirsky said. “I think we should keep considering that dialogue is conducive to moving forward in peace processes.”

Divestment might change political morale but would not have a significant impact on corporations, Ludomirsky said.

Nevertheless, Roache pointed to the diversity of the coalition in favor of divestment, noting that groups like Students for Prison Education and Reform and the DREAM Team, as well as students from various Christian fellowships, have expressed their support for divestment.

Berg said that University students are not alone in pursuing divestment, since divestment campaigns have been gaining ground at other campuses, including those of Wesleyan University, New York University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Naima Hammoud GSsaid she wanted to debunk a few myths about divestment.

“People have insinuated that divestment is like taking sides as a university,” Hammoud said. “We are not. We already have investments in companies that are committing human rights violations.”

While some have suggested positive investment as an alternative, this alone is insufficient to bring about actual change, Hammoud said.

A graduate student in the audience said that the referendum is not creating a new disagreement, since it does not have a binding consequence for the University and because this discussion would not be taking place at all if a disagreement did not already exist on campus. Instead,GSG will simply collect the numbers from the poll and present them to the Resources Committee of the Council on the Princeton University Community.

“[GSG] will not push a particular interpretation,” GSG academic affairs chair Daniel Vitek GSsaid.

About 50 graduate and undergraduate students attended the forum.

Ludomirsky said the number of people who came to the forum met her expectations.

“To me it’s a little disappointing that there aren’t more people who are interested enough to come out and listen to the conversations being had,” Ludomirsky said. “I also think it was pretty short notice.”

Roache said that she hopes the forum has increased student interest in divestment and encouraged them to vote.

“I’m actually thrilled that undergrads attended and took the time out of their days, because they’ve already cast their ballots,” Roache said. “To me that seems like a continued interest in perpetuating this dialogue on campus, and that’s deeply encouraging.”

The forum was moderated by Vitek and took place in Frist 302 at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify that students from various Christian fellowships on campus, and not the entire group, have expressed support for divestment.

Correction: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this article inaccurately transcribed the first quote by Kelly Roache GS. The 'Prince' regrets the error.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the Graduate Student Government has extended the voting period until Friday, May 8.