Vassar Students Vote 15-7 for BDS Measure
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The student government of Vassar College voted for a resolution calling for a statement supporting a boycott of Israel.
The resolution passed Sunday by the Vassar Student Association calls for a political statement in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, against Israel. The approval, which required a simple majority, passed by a vote of 15 to 7, the campus student newspaper, the Miscellany News, reported Monday.
In a special procedure, the vote was taken by the student association anonymously, as opposed to its usual open voting.
The association concurrently voted on a measure that would have amended the student association bylaws to prohibit the use of student funds to purchase goods from Israeli companies or companies that support Israel. That measure, which required a two-thirds majority to pass, garnered 12 votes in favor and 10 against.
The Vassar College administration has said it will not honor the BDS resolution and would consider taking over control of student activity fees over the proposed amendment.
Vassar students can petition the student association to send the BDS resolution to the full student body for a vote to veto the resolution.
The BDS resolution was a joint effort of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment has been widespread in the last year at Vassar, a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., according to the Anti-Defamation League.
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