Faculty discuss divestment at panel
Shriya SekhsariaIt is a moral duty to put pressure on the University to divest from companies profiting from the occupation of the West Bank and the siege of Gaza, Cornel West GS ’80, professor emeritus in the Center for African American Studies, said at a panel discussion on Wednesday. “We don’t want our money spent on those particular private sector institutions that are facilitating this kind of occupation,” West said.“Occupation is immoral, is wrong, is unjust, is illegal and it can only be pushed back — we have experienced this in South Africa — when voices of those across the border… are heard." The vote on the student referendum calling for University divestment from the occupation of West Bank and the siege of Gaza will occur on April 20, Max Weiss, professor of Near Eastern Studies and moderator for the event, said. A lot of people have expressed relief in having found a mechanism to talk about the difficult situation in the region through the petition, Molly Greene, professor of History and Hellenic Studies, said, noting that a similar petition is underway at Stanford University. Even though the University has engaged in divestment as recently as 2006, it is difficult to make progress due to University policy, Greene said, especially because the University gives out mixed messages about what leads to divestment. "Is it something the trustees decide?
