The Senate Assembly met in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building Monday afternoon to discuss the canceled Central Student Government vote from earlier in the academic year and approve a resolution asking the University of Michigan to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel. Outside and inside the building, the TAHRIR coalition organized a silent protest in support of both resolutions.
The Faculty Senate voted on the first of two main resolutions awaiting discussion by the committee following a reminder by SACUA chair Tom Braun on the rules of conduct for respectful conversation. The resolution condemned the University’s decision to cancel votes on two of CSG’s ballot initiatives, AR 13-025 and AR 13-026. The ballot initiatives addressed the University’s position on the Israel-Hamas war and were up for a campus-wide vote in the fall 2023 CSG midterm elections. The vote was canceled by the University administration after an email was sent through the University’s targeted email form encouraging U-M students to vote yes on AR 13-025 and no on AR 13-026. The University said the use of the targeted email service violated the University’s Responsible Use of Information Resources policy, though it was approved by a U-M administrator before being sent to students. In response, CSG released a press release stating that, while the email was a violation of University policy, the CSG governing documents do not have any rules about interfering with student petitions.
The resolution’s sponsor, Derek Peterson, U-M history and African Studies professor, began the discussion by denouncing the University’s cancellation of the vote as an overreach of their power and a violation of the University’s principles of diversity in thought.
“The cancellation of these votes sends an alarming message, in my view, about free speech at this university,” Peterson said. “If students engage in speech which the University deems inappropriate or counterproductive, then the University leadership thinks itself empowered to suppress or censor that speech. This is a dangerous move.”
Rebekah Modrak, Art & Design professor, echoed this sentiment, reminding the committee of Tinker v. Des Moines, a Supreme Court case in which school authorities attempted to ban students from wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.
“The 1969 U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, ‘In our system, undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression,’ ” Modrak said. “I support students’ rights to express themselves, and I support this resolution.”
After the discussion, the Assembly voted in favor of the resolution, passing it with 50 votes yes, five no and two abstaining.
The Assembly then discussed a second resolution, which called for the University to divest from companies profiting from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. This faculty resolution followed several student protests demanding divestment and is based on past U-M divestments under similar circumstances — most recently, the University divested from companies with financial ties to Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Peterson initiated the discussion with a presentation on recent events in the Israel-Hamas war and how the University contributes to the ongoing violence. Reflecting on the University’s involvement with companies invested in the war, Peterson said he was troubled by the University’s lack of transparency on the subject.
“The University has turned down several FOIA requests demanding information about the makeup of the University’s investments to do with Israel,” Peterson said. “And the resolution that this very body passed in early November last year asking for information about the extent of the University’s investment in Israel has gone unanswered, despite the fact that it was acknowledged as received by the Office of the President.”
Directly following Peterson’s introduction, Chief Financial Officer Geoffrey Chatas provided context on the University’s responsibility to its donors to optimize their resources and the Board of Regents’ prior decision not to consider the issue of divestment.
“It has been the University’s unwavering policy to shield the endowment from political pressures and to base its investment decisions on financial factors such as risk,” Chatas said. “And just as recently as this last fall, when we were approached to consider the topic at hand, the Board decided to reaffirm that they would not take up the topic of divestment in Israel at this time.”
Mark Rosentraub, professor of sport management, voiced his concerns regarding the potentially divisive consequences of passing this resolution.
“This will do nothing more than divide this campus further and further,” Rosentraub said. “With the Faculty Senate not proposing anything in a constructive sense about what it’s going to do to try to build a bridge towards peace, what we’ll do is we’ll further divide our campus into those who support one group versus the other. That will continue to tear us apart.”
Vilma Mesa, School of Education professor, warned against using the fear of financial repercussions as an excuse to not divest from companies profiting from Israeli military violence.
“I recognize the need to stop participating in these harms,” Mesa said. “I want to speak also about the issue of fear. I don’t think that fear should be the driving force here. We need to be upfront and uphold what we represent.”
Members of the committee put forth a motion to refer the current resolution to the Financial Affairs Advisory Committee which — after a vote of 22 yes, 35 no and three abstaining — did not pass. A following motion to change the language of the resolution from “invest in” to “profit from” passed with 37 yes, 15 no and five abstaining. Additional motions further amended the language by naming the Board of Regents as a recipient of the resolution and clarifying that its passage does not affect the University’s partnership with Israeli universities.
Following these changes, Braun called for a committee-wide vote. The resolution calling for the Board of Regents to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel’s military campaign passed with a vote of 38 yes, 17 no and five abstaining.
Daily Staff Reporter Michelle Liao can be reached at mrliao@umich.edu.