The Faculty Senate Assembly of the University of Michigan (U-M) has passed a resolution urging the university leadership to divest from its financial holdings in companies that invest in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The resolution cites the high proportion of civilian deaths, the use of U.S.-supplied munitions, and the risk of complicity in war crimes as reasons for divestment.
U-M Faculty Follows Student Activism
The resolution, which was passed on January 29, 2024, follows years of student activism on the issue of divestment from Israel. The National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) congratulated the faculty members for their historic victory and hoped that it would set a precedent for future faculty-led divestment initiatives on university campuses across Turtle Island.
The resolution also references the university’s previous divestment actions in response to apartheid South Africa in 1983 and Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022. The resolution states that “all states have the obligation to prevent atrocity crimes and promote adherence to norms that protect civilians” and that “the international community is long overdue to live up to these commitments.”
U-M Leadership Remains Silent on Investments
The resolution calls upon the university’s leadership, including the Board of Regents, to divest from its financial holdings in companies that invest in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. However, the resolution notes that the university has not responded to the Faculty Senate assembly’s inquiry in November 2023 seeking details on the university’s investments in such companies. The university has also rejected multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to these investments.
The resolution expresses concern that the university may be violating its own policy on investments, which states that “the university shall not invest in companies that, among other things, operate in countries where there is verified evidence of human rights violations or that are directly involved in the violation of human rights.”
U-M Faculty Supports Student Free Speech
In addition to the divestment resolution, the Faculty Senate assembly also passed a resolution demanding that the university protect student free speech amid nationwide crackdowns on student protests. The resolution expresses disapproval of recent unjustified interference with students’ free speech and demands that university leadership “protect and encourage the practice of deliberative democracy within the student community.”
The resolution cites the recent arrests of students at the University of California, Berkeley, who were protesting against the university’s ties with Israel. The resolution also mentions the threats of sanctions and lawsuits against students at other universities who have advocated for divestment from Israel.
The resolution affirms that “the right to free speech is essential to the pursuit of truth and the advancement of knowledge” and that “the university has a responsibility to foster a climate of open inquiry and intellectual diversity.”
