The Student Union Assembly (SUA) has approved a resolution to implement a boycott of SUA funds against Israel’s ongoing occupation and genocide of Palestine. The SUA voted 28-1-0, with 9 members absent. UC Santa Cruz itself has not divested.
The resolution, proposed at the SUA general meeting on March 5, detailed a commitment to refrain from the purchase of products and services from corporations included in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement list. SUA currently manages a budget of $554,385.98, entirely funded by student fees.
The resolution was written by students from the SUA Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and the Radical Advocates for Justice & Equity (RAJE) Committee. At the time of approval, it was endorsed by 26 campus organizations.
It also calls upon UC Santa Cruz and the UC system as a whole to divest from those companies and to reinvest the money into student services and campus organizations for marginalized or underrepresented students. This includes funding for housing, better working conditions and wages, employment opportunities for undocumented students, and transportation and parking services.
This resolution follows the signing of similar resolutions by other UC student governments. Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) on Feb. 16, UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council on Feb. 21, and Associated Students of the University of California, Riverside (ASUCR) on Feb. 29, pledged to boycott and divest from Israel and other complicit organizations in the genocide in Gaza.
Due to time constraints, only seven people were able to speak during public comment. All but one spoke in support of the passage of the resolution. Gabriel Lipow, a Santa Cruz Hillel representative, voiced concerns about the resolution being more focused on “virtue signaling,”
“Consider, for example, the UC Jewish community, do you believe that by alienating them from the rest of campus that you will win them over?” asked Lipow.
Santa Cruz Hillel later posted a statement on the divestment resolution on their Instagram on March 6, expressing disappointment “that more students were not given the opportunity to share their views on the resolution.”
Max Sarosi, a representative from Jews Against White Supremacy (JAWS), spoke immediately after.
“I just want to soundly reject that previous comment about alienating the Jewish community. We are the Jewish community,” Sarosi said. “There are 40 members signed up for Jews Against White Supremacy, and do our Jewish voices not matter?”
An SJP member called for unity against injustice and for sustainable investment practices.
“This is not just about divestment, it is about our collective voice, to stand in solidarity with oppressed communities and to advocate for a meaningful change,” the member said. “Let us use this opportunity to lead by example, to inspire other UC campuses, and to contribute to more than just the resolution.”
