Carleton University’s Academic Staff Association (CUASA) passed a motion divesting its strike fund from companies with ties to the Israeli military on Nov. 8.
The motion was passed with 128 votes for, 65 votes against and one abstention.
Several student groups applauded the motion in a joint statement posted on Instagram on Nov. 8, including Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Carleton and the Carleton 4 Palestine Coalition.
The CUASA union represents more than 1,000 full-time faculty and professional librarians at the university.
In addition to divestment, the motion also called on the university to “suspend its involvement with Israeli academic institutions directly enabling Israeli war crimes, breaches of international law and human rights violations in the [occupied Palestinian territory].”
CUASA’s divestment comes after the university senate voted against an Oct. 18 motion to disclose its financial investments and divest from companies contributing to human rights violations in armed conflict.
In an emailed statement to the Charlatan, IJV president Nir Hagigi said CUASA’s divestment motion is “an incredible victory for justice and human rights.”
Hagigi said the motion’s passing sends a strong message that Carleton professors “prioritize ethics over complicity.”
“Realistically, Carleton’s administration has shown little willingness to prioritize ethics over financial interests, even when it is clear that the two go hand in hand,” Hagigi wrote. “We anticipate resistance to implementing [CUASA’s] motion, despite the very clear and solid rationale.”
Hagigi said while the CUASA divestment motion “adds pressure” on the university as a message of solidarity from faculty members towards the pro-Palestinian cause, students need to continue demanding accountability.
“More faculty, students and campus groups should feel empowered to raise their voices and advocate for divestment and other measures that uphold human rights,” Hagigi wrote.
Carleton University did not comment on the divestment motion following a request from the Charlatan.
In his emailed statement, Hagigi said he hopes CUASA’s decision generates a broader conversation “about the role of universities in perpetuating systemic injustices.” He said while the motion is an important step in creating institutional change, more needs to be done.
“Divestment and disclosure at Carleton University is an important campaign right now,” Hagigi said. “We have students at our university who are directly impacted by these investments, whose relatives have been decimated into ashes by the weapons that we fund. Divestment can’t wait.”
Featured image by Sadeen Mohsen.
