On November 11, Clark’s Undergraduate Student Council (CUSC) emailed undergraduates to provide an update on actions taken following a referendum vote last March. 772 students participated in the referendum, which addressed divesting endowment funds, adhering to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and stopping purchasing from Amazon. This constitutes 33 percent of the student population.

What is BDS…Or, the Short Version

BDS describes themselves as a Palestinian-led movement using similar tactics as the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa to “pressure Israel to comply with international law.” The organization encourages followers to comply with three tenets: boycotting institutions and groups with monetary ties to the State of Israel, encouraging companies to divest from Israel and 

Israeli companies, and to pressure governments to impose sanctions on Israel. BDS has seen a surge in engagement and followers in the face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

However, TIME Magazine concedes that many feel that its focus on Israel is “unfair.” In fact, the Anti-Defamation League calls BDS one of the world’s most controversial boycott movements. The primary concern is that this focus on pressuring Israel specifically is anti-Semitic, or could lead to increased antisemitism. According to TIME, 33 U.S. states have implemented laws that punish support for BDS as a result. 

Student Council Progress

In the November 11 email, CUSC broke down their progress on implementing each of the four provisions on Clark’s campus. This follows a CUSC meeting held on November 7 in which a public comment was made claiming that the referendum passed last semester was not “properly addressed,” as well as an October 10 “Strike for Palestine” protest at the campus gates. 

CUSC was busy over the summer, meeting with Clark University President David Fithian and Dean Kamala Kiem to begin charting a path toward divestment. They also researched alternative vendor lists to help clubs achieve compliance with BDS. CUSC requested to meet with the Board of Trustees (BOT), but did not receive a response either from BOT or from Fithian, who sent a follow-up message on their behalf. 

CUSC Treasurer Kelechi Akabuogu created a vendor list to help clubs use alternatives to Amazon for purchases. CUSC has also collaborated with Student Leadership and Programming (SLP) to use tax-exempt vendors for their supplies such as Walmart, Target and Party City, all of whom comply with BDS. CUSC has also been encouraging registered student organizations (RSOs) to use this list, and regularly check the BDS Movement’s website to ensure compliance. As of November 15, no purchases have been made through Amazon using CUSC’s club budget. 

However, CUSC has faced some obstacles in implementing BDS, primarily from Clark University’s current dining vendor, Harvest Table. Harvest Table asserts that they cannot “take a political stance,” though they have replaced some items that were flagged by BDS. Harvest Table has also prioritized focusing on buying from local vendors and providers to better comply with the movement. 

Equity and Inclusion Response

On November 12, The Scarlet received an email from CUSC Equity and Inclusion Representatives Molly Joe, Jordan Alexandre, Melissa Bento, and Stephen Gibbons explaining that CUSC “has not forgotten about the referendum” and that they are “trying to make progress.” 

“We as Representatives have limited power so long as those above us are unwilling to allow change,” they wrote. “We, like you, are only students, navigating an opaque and bureaucratic system that is designed to protect certain interests. Our goals will only be achieved if enough of us are unwavering and persistent.”

CUSC Response

The Scarlet reached out to the CUSC e-board and received an emailed response on November 17. CUSC writes that student support of the referendum has been “overwhelming.” Student leaders and the representative council both voiced support for complying with the referendum throughout Halloweekend. This included avoiding Amazon for all Halloweekend purchases. and helping RSOs find alternative vendors to Amazon.

“We encourage all undergraduate students to go to their representative’s office hours and to voice their thoughts about divestment,” they said. “We can try to perceive as much as we want, but we would rather act on actual thoughts from the student body.”

CUSC writes that their largest obstacle to implementing the referendum has been the student body itself, due to “low voter turnout” and “low engagement numbers” on last semester’s referendum vote. 

“As we all know this is an issue far outside of Clark University and CUSC elections as well, but this continues to impact our ability to act on behalf of the entire student body,” they wrote.

CUSC offered office hours as an opportunity to boost engagement with the student body. Each of the thirty-two CUSC representatives hosts weekly office hours, which are open for discussion on any questions or concerns for the council.

“We would love to get some feedback from all of you,” CUSC wrote. “This would better inform how representatives vote in meetings. Our mission as CUSC is to serve all of you and we would welcome input.”