On Tuesday, March 25th, another victory for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Loyola University Chicago took place on the senate floor. The resolution to divest from Israeli occupation came back for a re-vote, which led to a 12-10-9 win.
This win came after the resolution already passed overwhelmingly on March 18th, 2014. USGA senators faced much backlash from pro-Israel students, faculty, and external groups that forced them to bring the discussion of the resolution back to the table.
SJP and its allies were put through obstacles that no other group or organization would be forced to go through. There is a clear double standard and abuse of power taking place. According to USGA President Pedro Guerrero, closed meetings took place with representatives of the Jewish United Fund, which is notorious for harassing and spying on students who advocate for Palestinian human rights.
A day after the divestment resolution passed for the second time, President Guerrero voted to veto the divestment resolution. This decision was made despite over 1,000 undergraduate student signatures, and over 300 letters of support for the resolution.
In his veto statement, President Guerrero claims that the divestment resolution has caused “harm to our [USGA] constituency,” but failed to recognize the harm and systematic abuse Palestinians, including Palestinian students of Loyola University, face on a daily basis. Because of Guerrero’s decision, USGA’s senate narrowly missed a historic opportunity to divest its funds from corporations like Raytheon, which supplies weaponry to Israel integral to maintaining the occupation of the Palestinian people.
Instead of making reference to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, Guerrero incorrectly called it “the Palestinian occupation” in his statement. Guerrero also states that the resolution “highlighted two ultimate goals, to divest from companies that profit from the Palestinian occupation and to urge the university to participate in socially responsible investing. These are two different requests, and must be separated.” Divesting from companies that profit off human rights abuses is inherently tied to socially responsible investing and they must not be separated. Additionally, Guerrero’s denial of the unethical investments made in human rights violations against Palestinians should not be taken lightly.
President of SJP and USGA senator Nashiha Alam said: “Although President Guerrero caved into pressure and vetoed a resolution that passed twice, we still see this as a victory and a step in the right direction. Many members of the USGA stood on the right side despite intense pressure, intimidation, and harassment. And there has been a shift in discourse on our campus. People are concerned about tuition money being invested in corporations that commit human rights abuses in Palestine. There is an energy from a diverse range of students, faculty and staff who want to take action. We are winning.”
Rest assured, this movement for divestment at Loyola is far from over. In fact, it is just getting started. The divestment resolution has reached so many hearts and minds on campus and our resolution has forced people to challenge the status quo. The wide attention on campus gained from the divestment resolution has revitalized the Jesuit spirit by inspiring students to take action and strive for justice.
SJP and our many allies and supporters will continue our efforts to remove our University’s complicity in Israel’s violation of Palestinian human rights.
This win came after the resolution already passed overwhelmingly on March 18th, 2014. USGA senators faced much backlash from pro-Israel students, faculty, and external groups that forced them to bring the discussion of the resolution back to the table.
SJP and its allies were put through obstacles that no other group or organization would be forced to go through. There is a clear double standard and abuse of power taking place. According to USGA President Pedro Guerrero, closed meetings took place with representatives of the Jewish United Fund, which is notorious for harassing and spying on students who advocate for Palestinian human rights.
A day after the divestment resolution passed for the second time, President Guerrero voted to veto the divestment resolution. This decision was made despite over 1,000 undergraduate student signatures, and over 300 letters of support for the resolution.
In his veto statement, President Guerrero claims that the divestment resolution has caused “harm to our [USGA] constituency,” but failed to recognize the harm and systematic abuse Palestinians, including Palestinian students of Loyola University, face on a daily basis. Because of Guerrero’s decision, USGA’s senate narrowly missed a historic opportunity to divest its funds from corporations like Raytheon, which supplies weaponry to Israel integral to maintaining the occupation of the Palestinian people.
Instead of making reference to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, Guerrero incorrectly called it “the Palestinian occupation” in his statement. Guerrero also states that the resolution “highlighted two ultimate goals, to divest from companies that profit from the Palestinian occupation and to urge the university to participate in socially responsible investing. These are two different requests, and must be separated.” Divesting from companies that profit off human rights abuses is inherently tied to socially responsible investing and they must not be separated. Additionally, Guerrero’s denial of the unethical investments made in human rights violations against Palestinians should not be taken lightly.
President of SJP and USGA senator Nashiha Alam said: “Although President Guerrero caved into pressure and vetoed a resolution that passed twice, we still see this as a victory and a step in the right direction. Many members of the USGA stood on the right side despite intense pressure, intimidation, and harassment. And there has been a shift in discourse on our campus. People are concerned about tuition money being invested in corporations that commit human rights abuses in Palestine. There is an energy from a diverse range of students, faculty and staff who want to take action. We are winning.”
Rest assured, this movement for divestment at Loyola is far from over. In fact, it is just getting started. The divestment resolution has reached so many hearts and minds on campus and our resolution has forced people to challenge the status quo. The wide attention on campus gained from the divestment resolution has revitalized the Jesuit spirit by inspiring students to take action and strive for justice.
SJP and our many allies and supporters will continue our efforts to remove our University’s complicity in Israel’s violation of Palestinian human rights.
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