With a unanimous vote of 3-0, the UB Student Association (SA) Executive Committee called upon the private UB Foundation (UBF) to “not invest in entities, companies or organizations that engage in human rights abuses” in a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)-backed resolution that passed on Aug. 16. It bypassed a vote from the SA Senate as the SA Executive Committee acts in place of the Senate during summer and winter semesters.
The resolution comes after SA’s intense disagreement with SJP members throughout last spring as former SA President Becky Paul-Odionhin repeatedly blocked a vote on a SJP-backed resolution demanding UBF to divest from “companies complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine.”
Paul-Odionhin previously cited New York State Executive Order 157, a 2016 executive order banning public entities from investing in companies engaged in boycott, divestment or sanctions (BDS) activities targeting Israel, as the main reason for withholding the resolution from a vote. During the last SA Senate meeting for the 2023-24 academic year, Paul-Odionhin stated that SA could be disbanded if the resolution is found in violation of the order.
The resolution passed last month sidesteps the order by avoiding any reference to financial investments, stating that the resolution should not be considered as “business operations or conduct” and is meant to be “pure speech.”
“This resolution does not change SA’s long-standing practice of not taking sides in international conflicts,” current SA president Samin Bhuya wrote.
In a statement emailed to The Spectrum, UBF stated that it “adheres to socially responsible and ethical investment practices.”
“Accordingly, and in conjunction with its investment advisor, the UBF Investment Committee considers environmental, social and governance factors in making investment decisions,” the statement reads. “These include factors related to the quality and functioning of the environment, related to the rights, well-being and interests of people and communities, and related to the governance of companies and other investee entities.”
The UB Jewish Student Union declined to comment.
Mylien Lai is the senior news editor and can be reached at mylien.lai@ubspectrum.com.
Mylien Lai is the senior news editor at The Spectrum. Outside of getting lost in Buffalo, she enjoys practicing the piano and being a bean plant mom. She can be found at @my_my_my_myliennnn on Instagram.
