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At its Tuesday meeting, the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) heard from student representatives from Stanford’s Student Movement for Justice in Palestine (SJP), who called for greater transparency about the university’s investment portfolio and its relationship with the Israeli government.
The campaign comes amid tensions on campus and the university’s continued insistence on a sit-in movement to stop genocide in support of calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Katie Eder ’24 and Farah Tantawy ’26 asked UGS to support SJP’s efforts to urge universities to reconsider investing in companies and entities with deep ties to the Israeli government and military, such as Hewlett Packard (HP). I interviewed. Tantawy said HP provides much of the digital infrastructure that has enabled Israel to implement its historically biased border control system and launch its current offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Students have been campaigning since October to urge the university to take a firm stance against Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip.
However, Eder stressed that the conflict had been going on for much longer than that. During the meeting, he pointed out that some Israeli human rights groups, UN experts, Amnesty International and other organizations have recognized Israel as an apartheid state. Eder defined apartheid as a system in which one racial group systematically oppresses another racial group in order to maintain power.
“This is not only morally reprehensible, but also illegal under international law,” Eder said.
Mr Eder said there was precedent for the campaign’s objectives. “There may be rare instances where a company’s actions or omissions are so abhorrent and ethically unconscionable as to justify separating the university from those investments,” he said in the board’s statement on investment responsibility. He emphasized that “there is a gender.”
Student representatives said apartheid and the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza should be considered “abhorrent and morally unjust.”
“The student body is very supportive of this transparency and this action,” Tantawi said. “Data and processes should not be hidden and inaccessible to the public, especially students like us who pay tuition to attend college.”
UGS Vice Chair Joy Molloy ’25 said she recognizes that this is “a really pressing global issue that many senators are passionate about.” As a collective, UGS will be sure to consider the resolutions you submit to us. ”
UGS also discussed a resolution Tuesday to increase Green Library hours. According to research conducted by Congresswoman Ivy Chen ’26 and Finance Minister Gordon Allen ’26, many students frequently and consistently use the Green Library as a study space. Mr. Chen and Mr. Allen advocated for a formal resolution supporting the extension of Green Library hours.
The senators also heard from ASSU executives Sophia Danielpour ’26 and Kyle Haslett ’25 about ASSU’s plans for Full Moon in the Quad.
Danielpour said ASSU would like to continue the tradition of Full Moon on the Quad, which has not been officially held since 2020, but it will take months of planning to successfully hold the event. He emphasized that.
“While it may seem spontaneous at first glance, we need to organize a very complex event, especially if we want it to be very safe and inclusive,” Danielpour said. “Ideally it would be held this Thursday, but there are some obstacles on the administrative side that would make it very difficult.”
However, Danielpour expressed optimism that ASSU will be able to celebrate this tradition again this year.
“We plan to host a larger version later this quarter with the help of other groups and administrators to make it as strong as possible,” she said.
Senators also unanimously passed a bill to eliminate term limits for the ASSU finance director. The bill, which was previously passed by the Graduate Student Council, is scheduled to go into effect on February 1st. From that point on, ASSU’s financial managers will be able to serve continuously beyond the two years previously allowed.
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