A group of Michigan State University faculty pressing the school to divest from Israel says it’s taking a “wait and see” approach to recent changes to MSU’s investment policy.
In the past year, the campus has seen an encampment and a sit-in at its administrative building by students demanding the school withdraw its investments in the Israeli government and companies they say are contributing to Israel’s war in Gaza, as well as from certain weapons and defense contractors.
MSU officials have denied that the school directly invests in Israel’s war efforts.
In early December, the MSU Board of Trustees updated its investment policy to allow for the creation of a committee of students, faculty and staff to evaluate requests and make recommendations regarding any divestments. MSU’s president would name the committee members.
Trustee Sandy Pierce said the school would form a committee to evaluate calls for Israel divestment within the year.
Jennifer Goett, an associate professor who is part of the faculty group calling for divestment, said she remains concerned about how the committee members will be selected.
“The president's unilateral control of appointments, according to the policy, doesn't inspire confidence, but we certainly hope that he would be inclusive of the people who have spent the last year and change mobilizing and dedicating themselves to the demand for justice,” Goett said.
“Given how resistant the administration, I think, and the board have been to divestment and the consistency of that stance over the last year, we don't really have any reason to believe that they're warming to the demand,” she said. ”If they are, that's great. We welcome that. And if they aren't, we'd like to know what the rationale is for creating the committee.”
The Board of Trustees also voted to remove language from the school’s investment policy calling for them to “exhibit social conscience” in administering investment decisions.
In an interview with WKAR, outgoing Board Chair Dan Kelly said “that term has a different meaning to a number of different people,” and that it was removed because it was not well-defined.
The board also added new language in the policy stating: “there may exist extraordinary circumstances in which the University may wish to consider investment changes for non-financial reasons.”
Goett said this language can be left up to interpretation as well.
“The question that I have for them is, what counts as an extraordinary circumstance?”
She pointed out that multiple human rights groups have accused Israel of committing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister and former Defense Minister, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"Is that an extraordinary circumstance? We believe it is."
Goett said regardless of the board’s actions, there is a growing call from the campus community to pursue divestment.
“This is not something that they can manage or evade or wrap up or put to rest through the creation of a new bureaucratic process.”
Goett said her faculty group plans to submit a report to resident Kevin Guskiewicz early next year, calling for divestments from specific funds and bonds related to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Those holdings represent about 15% of the university’s total cash and investments.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
