The Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) divestment subcommittee is advocating for students’ concerns about the university’s investments, despite the university’s senate voting against divestment and disclosure last October.
According to Artur Estrela da Silva, CUSA’s vice-president (student issues) and subcommittee executive member, the subcommittee has two primary goals: divestment and surveying effects on students.
Toward the former, CUSA is urging Carleton to divest from companies deemed to be in violation of international law. As for the latter, it launched a survey on Jan. 20 for students to share their experiences with anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism on campus, with a final report planned for March 2025.
“This is what we are hearing from the student community,” Estrela da Silva said. “It all goes back to what matters to students.”
Even so, the subcommittee has faced opposition while pursuing divestment, particularly from local pro-Israel organizations, according to Dana Sayed Ahmed, a CUSA councillor and leader of the subcommittee.
“We’re always going to face backlash just because of the nature of the topic in itself and … how debated it is in Western cultures and imperialist countries.
“I still believe in it,” she said. “I will gladly take the heat for it.”
Advocacy groups including Carleton University 4 Palestine (C4P) and Students for Justice in Palestine are involved in the subcommittee’s efforts.
“Hundreds of students have signed petitions to call on the university to divest,” said a representative from C4P. He asked not to be named because he desires privacy and fears personal repercussions.
“People are opening their eyes and realizing this is the great injustice of our time, and it has to be taken seriously,” he said.
Student senator and Independent Jewish Voices Carleton president Nir Hagigi said Carleton has resisted divestment efforts. He criticized the university’s handling of the issue, calling it “shameful.”
“The majority of the university wants divestment,” Hagigi said. “We’ve seen this with CUASA motions, with CUSA motions, GSA motions, CUPE motions. The only places it hasn’t passed are the senate and Board of Governors.”
In a Jan. 20 email statement to the Charlatan, university media relations officer Steven Reid said Carleton is “committed to responsible investment.”
The university has a responsible investing policy, is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and uses environmental, social and governance factors to consider the financial returns and “overall impact” of new investments, the statement adds.
The C4P representative compared divestment advocacy work today to the push for divestment from apartheid South Africa in the 1980s.
“Our student predecessors have fought for divestment from South Africa and students before them have fought for the civil rights movement in the U.S.,” he said. “This is something very similar.”
CUSA is not only on the right side of history, Hagigi said, but also in an ideal position to advocate for students.
“They’re able to influence the university in ways that individual student clubs aren’t,” he said.
The success of CUSA’s subcommittee depends on both CUSA and the university, according to the C4P representative.
“It depends on the willingness of CUSA councillors and the CUSA executive body,” he said. “It also depends on the university and whether or not they decide to listen to their students.”
CUSA councillor Sayed Ahmed said it’s important to balance advocacy with practical limitations.
“There’s a cost-benefit analysis to everything,” she said. “That includes making sure we get divestment, but not at the cost of other students’ rights and responsibilities.”
Despite the various considerations, Sayed Ahmed said divestment efforts are vital.
“Advocacy like this brings back a sense of community,” she said. “It fosters a feeling of safety and well-being, to know that someone is out there fighting for you.”
Featured graphic by Alisha Velji.
