This has been a challenging time for colleges and universities, as many campuses have struggled with defining arenas for free expression of opposition to the war in Gaza. Sadly, political efforts to undermine and control institutions of higher education have made it difficult to avoid playing into damaging narratives that frame all student protests as threatening, all administrations as negligent, and free speech on this topic as evidence of woke indoctrination.
On Monday, I sent the Carleton Student Association (CSA) a memo in response to the CSA Resolution of February 19, which supported the Carleton Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) petition calling on the College to divest from companies connected to the State of Israel, among other actions. As a first step, the CSA resolution asked the Carleton Responsible Investment Committee (CRIC) to analyze the College’s endowment holdings to determine where there might be involvement with Israel. CRIC reported that the College does not have any private partnership co-investments with Israeli companies, and it would not be possible for them to do the further analysis requested. My memo states that the College does not intend to take any further action on this issue.
I appreciate the work of CSA in providing a forum for the expression of student opinion on this difficult topic, and have let them know that I would be happy to meet with them to discuss the administration’s response in more detail. I also shared the memo with SJP leadership with a similar offer.
I welcome opportunities to talk with members of the College community about our response to the divestment proposal, and about ways in which the College can best support your continued learning about the conflict, free expression of opinion, and participation in meaningful dialogue with the administration and with each other.
Featured in Carleton Today, April 25, 2024