New Mexico Students Reverse Divestment Vote
Change Course: University of Michigan students protested last month during a push for anti-Israel divestment. After first voting for divestment, students at the University of New Mexico reversed course and rejected the measure.
The Graduate and Professional Student Association at the University of New Mexico overturned a divestment resolution on the West Bank.
Saturday’s vote rescinded an April 28 resolution calling on the university to divest from companies that operate in the West Bank. The vote was 10-10, with the tie broken by the meeting chair.
Since the agenda of the earlier meeting was not available in advance, members of the pro-Israel community did not attend and were not available to debate the resolution. The second hearing was held in order to allow the association to hear the other side of the issue, the pro-Israel organization StandWithUs said in a statement.
StandWithUs credited the groups Lobos for Israel and Hillel for convincing the association to hold another hearing on the resolution, which called on the university to divest from companies that “directly profit from the ongoing violations of international law and human rights, and have an economic stake in the continuation of these violations.”
The university’s Students for Justice in Palestine organization, which sponsored the resolution, said in a Facebook post that it would continue its divestment initiative in the coming semester.
Last month, a similar resolution was voted down by the Associated Students for the University of New Mexico.
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