Ohio University students recently voted in favor of a referendum demanding the school divest from Israel despite state law prohibiting such action.
The Student Senate voted unanimously in favor of Senate Bill 2526-11 on March 18, which calls on the school to both divest from Israel bonds and companies related to the country and make information pertaining to its investments publicly available, according to the student newspaper The Post.
The bill, drafted in part by the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, received unanimous support from the Student Senate before going to a referendum put before the student body, in which it garnered 86 percent support.
Prior to the vote, the SJP chapter hosted an “Educational Forum,” during which it informed students about “OU’s investments into genocide, repressive laws, and the referendum vote.”
The legislation was also endorsed by a number of other left-wing groups, including Amnesty International OU, OU Ohio Student Association, OU Black Panther Party Legacy, Sunrise Athens, OU Young Democratic Socialists of America, OU Publius, Southeast Ohio Jewish Voice for Peace, and OU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.
“This issue is not exclusive to Students for Justice in Palestine,” SJP board member Henry Turner said ahead of the vote. “There are many, many community and student organizations that are passionate about this issue and want to end the university’s complicity in acts of genocide and apartheid.”
SJP celebrated the passage of the measure, writing on Instagram, “This fight is not over. We must keep pressure on the university to listen to student voices. Stay transparent. End complicity in genocide.”
Despite the results of the vote, school officials have pointed out that Section 9.76 of the Ohio Revised Code prohibits Israeli-related divestments.
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