Editor’s Note: Quotes have since been added from the DAC press conference that took place Thursday afternoon on the steps of Old Main.
BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Western Washington University has new protocol for its investments after a resolution it agreed to with pro-Palestine student protesters.
WWU President Sabah Randhawa explained the terms of the agreement in a letter sent out to the Western community on Friday, May 31.
The resolution includes a commitment to transparency surrounding investments made by the university and a new process to consider requests for divestment. The school will form a pair of groups with student representation by Fall 2024: the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) and the Committee on Ethical Contracts.
Randhawa added an apology for Arab students in the letter, referencing regret for a past message he sent out in November criticizing the use of the term “Intifada” during a rally on campus.
Students with the group WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition (DAC) say they met with university administrators for 10 hours on Wednesday, May 29, before reaching what they call a “historic agreement.” It came after a “die-in” where a large group of protesters laid down, mimicking dead bodies, to fill a hallway of Old Main where the offices of some university administrators were located.
Organizers had called for Western to divest from weapons manufacturers, including Boeing, but Wednesday’s resolution that was signed by both parties stated that the university does not have any direct financial investments in companies on the group’s divestment list.
“In terms of resources, we offer a significant flow of especially engineering and business students to Boeing staff,” DAC negotiator Madden Tavernise said during the DAC press conference on Thursday, May 30. “There is a significant, if non-financial, tie between the College of Science and Engineering [and] the College of Business and Economics and Boeing as a company, especially with respect to hiring fairs and where faculty tells students to pursue careers, especially via internships.”
As per the terms of the agreement, student protesters disbanded their encampment in front of Old Main ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline they were given on Thursday, May 30.
The encampment, which grew to upwards of 70 tents, lasted just over two weeks after it was formed on May 14.
DAC negotiator Jasmine Welaye said that the win, while celebrated, is bittersweet at the end of the press conference.
“While we are celebrating this win, it is also important to remember that we are not done yet, we still have so much work to do,” she said.
My Bellingham Now’s Emma Toscani contributed to this article.
