Image by loyola u.

Loyola University will not address the issue of divestment from Israel despite the student government’s passage of a resolution to divest from companies that do business with Israel, the university president said.

Loyola University President Father Michael Garanzini sent an open letter by email to students and the university community on Tuesday morning that said: “The University is not interested in taking up the matter of divestment in this instance.”

The letter called the process of passing the resolution divisive and said it “pits student against student.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

It is the first time the president of the university has ever written an open letter of such a political nature, the student newspaper the Loyola Phoenix reported.

The vote on March 26 was 15 to 15, with two abstentions. The speaker of the student senate broke the tie with a vote in favor of the resolution. The voting was anonymous due to fear of reprisals.

The companies named in the resolution are Caterpillar, United Technologies Co., Raytheon and Valero.

In an open letter in response to Garanzini’s, student body president Flavio Bravo wrote: “As of today, we as students of Loyola University Chicago must come to face the reality that the university will not divest from these four, listed, private corporations anytime soon. But, with this measure that has now passed three times, the university must now face the reality that this is what students want and what they believe is best. Having sincerely discerned all of this, I am proud to endorse this measure.”

The Loyola Student Government passed a divestment resolution in March of 2014, but the resolution was vetoed by the student body president. The university also issued a statement at the time that it would not adopt the student’s divestment proposal if passed.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount