Central Student Government representatives Gaby Roth, an LSA junior, and Eli Schrayer, an LSA senior, introduced a resolution Tuesday night to fund monthly lunches promoting dialogue regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was met with mixed reactions from the rest of the body.
“There were a lot of calls for us to take action and work together to address the issues that were brought up.” Roth said. “In trying to find something that we could really collaborate on we realized that until we actually stopped trying to correct each other’s narratives and just really try to work to understand each other … we need to acknowledge each other’s truths.”
Roth referred to Students Allied for Freedom and Equality’s resolution to divest its investments in several companies that allegedly commit human rights violations against Palestinians. The divestment appears in the body annually — this year, the resolution failed with 34-13.
LSA senior Devin Jones, one of the authors of the resolution, criticized the assembly after the resolution was rejected.
“When you argue on the claim that we did not know what we were talking about, that you are somehow better than us … that is the epitome of privilege,” Jones said in November after it failed. “(I am) paying tuition, in which a portion of my tuition goes to companies that go to the oppression of my people … You have to live with this. You have to stare me in the the face.”
Roth appealed to the board for $200 to support the lunches, hoping to talk to a selected group of people who would fill out a questionnaire before the event. Roth and Schrayer stressed the importance of fostering meaningful interactions especially in light of the recent election.
This proposed resolution received mixed results, with some members pointing out it would be unethical if the lunches were being funded by CSG but weren’t open to all CSG members.
CSG President David Schafer, an LSA senior, believed CSG was not in the right place to address the situation, stating the body should not fund divisive issues of this nature.
“My suggestion would be to look through different avenues, such as Hillel, such as other organizations on campus who might be more invested in this,” Schafer said. “I would be hesitant and unsure for this organization to go forward and fund this stuff, because I’m not sure what kind of message that sends.”
The resolution was tabled for later review by the Resolutions Committee.
The Student Organization Funding Committee also attended the meeting to clarify its funding process to the assembly, which was unclear about the organization’s role.
According to SOFC Chair Kevin Yang, a Business junior, the committee is the funding body of CSG. However, the group was created to operate autonomously from CSG because of certain biases that representatives might have. Various student organizations apply to SOFC to receive funding for student activities and events on a reimbursement basis.
It also funds services and events, such as the night owl bus route and water bottle refill stations. For each semester, SOFC has about $200,000 to give to student organizations.
A year ago during now-alum Cooper Charlton’s administration, SOFC played a critical role when the body depleted its financial resources a month before the semester ended. The former assembly passed the resolution to provide the commission the emergency funds.