Boston University students voted overwhelmingly in support of BU divesting from companies “actively complicit in human rights violations in the Middle East,” in a referendum survey administered by BU Student Government this week.
The survey opened Feb. 19 and closed Feb. 26 at 5 p.m., with a total of 1,726 student votes.
The referendum featured three questions about whether or not the University should disclose, divest and reinvest funds from its endowment. More than 90% of respondents voted in support of each question.
“The student body is steadfast in their knowledge of the material reality that is, BU invests in genocide and apartheid,” said Mary Haddad, a junior and BU Students for Justice in Palestine member.
A previous referendum survey was nullified earlier this month due to “security and technological issues.” The day after it was nullified, BU’s Board of Trustees voted to reject any further requests for divestment relating to the Israel-Hamas war.
“The Executive Board of the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing hastily rejected divestment proposals without student input,” StuGov President Akwasi Antwi, said in an Instagram post. “We believe that this decision was taken with full knowledge of our planned referendum, attempting to make our mission obsolete.”
The referendum survey was directly administered by StuGov, and ran on BU’s Qualtrics survey system, which allows for “a secure, legit, credible statistic,” according to Haddad.
The previous referendum was administered by BU SJP.
BU Spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that the referendum is “a moot point,” an unrelated point that can no longer be questioned or debated.
BU divested its endowment funds on at least three other instances — in 1979 when the Trustees voted to cease investments in companies doing business in apartheid South Africa, in 2006 when BU ceased investments in Sudan and more recently in 2021 when the Trustees voted to halt investments in fossil fuel companies — with several spearheaded by student advocacy.
“I think SJP is just continuing that tradition of student activism,” Haddad said. “This record of divestment would not have happened if it was not for student pressure.”
Grace Price, vice president of BU College Republicans, said past divestments were less politically polarizing, compared to the current proposed divestment of companies involved in the Israel-Hamas war.
“If BU were to take a stance on this, then they would be taking a stance on the issue of Israel versus Palestine,” Price said. “Which I don’t think is something that BU would do.”
According to Haddad, BU’s decision to deny divestment before a student survey without security and technology issues could be administered, is indicative of their position on the issue.
“It’s indicative of their complicity with genocide, with Israeli apartheid,” Haddad said. “They’re getting their money from their investments, their endowment, along with our tuition and they do not care.”
The referendum, which was initially approved in a StuGov meeting Feb. 3, has polarized BU’s community and unsettled many Jewish students.
Several Jewish organizations on campus announced students should “ignore the vote,” due to it being a “sham” already voted against by the Board of Trustees, according to senior Yonatan Manor.
“All the vote does is try to divide campus and make Jewish students feel uncomfortable,” Manor wrote to The Daily Free Press.
In an open letter to students, BU Hillel said the bill ignored the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism by considering the bill.
Manor said he and other Jewish students were “cut off” by the StuGov senate chair when they attempted to oppose the bill during debate, but it ultimately passed with a 36-28 majority.
The recent referendum featured modified language from the first referendum, including the absence of the word “Israel,” a point of contention mentioned by critics of the bill during the StuGov meeting.
“Pushing anything anti-Israel, people automatically associate that with Jewish people,” said freshman Zac Segal. “Unfortunately, Jewish people are the ones who face the backlash of that.”
SJP members maintain the referendum isn’t antisemitic, due to it being a democratic vote approved by the student government, in which respondents freely voted.
“It is not antisemitic,” said an SJP steering committee member, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. “It is simply a vote to see where the student body lies on the question of divestment.”
Multiple administrative officials declined to comment.
“Our next steps are putting pressure on BU to disclose and divest,” Haddad said. “To use this statistic as supportive evidence towards a popularity of disclosure, divestment and reinvestment.”
