PROVIDENCE – On the heels of Brown University’s decision to divest a majority of its endowment from fossil fuel companies, a university committee has recommended additional divestment measures related to companies that benefit from Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, an advisory group of students, faculty, staff and alumni, issued a new report recommending that the university divest from companies that profit from Israeli occupation of Palestine according to a set of five criteria. The recommendation, made by a two-thirds majority vote of the committee, identifies 11 companies to divest from as follows: AB Volvo, Airbus, Boeing, DXC, General Dynamics, General Electric, Motorola, Northrup Grumman, Oaktree Capital, Raytheon and United Technologies.
The report comes after nearly a year of discussion over a proposal from a group of students with Brown Divest. The proposal also has “overwhelming support” across the campus, with 69% of undergraduate students indicating they agree with the divestment proposal in a recent referendum, and support from 63 university faculty members, the report stated.
The committee has considered the issue of Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the urging of students in the community several times previously, but this is the first time it has recommended direct divestiture, the report stated.
The report is the first in a two-part recommendation to the university; a vote scheduled for next month will fine-tune existing criteria for divestment and more clearly outline the financial impact on the endowment, according to the committee.
Nancy Lavin is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at lavin@pbn.com.
